James and his wife, Tina, found themselves grappling with unexpected fines after Tina was caught by an AI-operated traffic camera on November 30 last year. The couple claims they were left in the dark about the penalties until weeks later. James firmly believes that had a human officer pulled Tina over, no fines would have been issued.
Upon receiving the fines, James and Tina immediately requested a review, hoping to shed light on Tina’s particular situation. James has reportedly made up to 20 calls to the Department of Transport, attempting to clarify that Tina has a medical condition that affects her ability to wear a seatbelt comfortably.
In Australia, individuals with certain medical conditions or disabilities can obtain a seatbelt exemption medical certificate from a doctor. However, as the WA Department of Transport explained to nine.com.au, such certificates must be signed by a registered medical practitioner and be current at the time of the alleged offense.
James claimed he’s made up to 20 calls to the Department of Transport trying to explain Tina’s medical situation.
Some Australians may be issued a seatbelt exemption medical certificate by a doctor for a medical condition or disability.
WA’s Department of Transport told nine.com.au these certificates must be signed by a registered medical practitioner and be current at the time of the alleged offence.
The certificate must say that the person is unable to wear a seatbelt for a specific qualifying medical reason, or that it would be unreasonable to require the wearing of a seatbelt due to the person’s size, build or other physical characteristic.
The certificate must be carried whenever in a vehicle.
“If a driver (or their passenger) has a current, valid medical exemption and has been issued a seat belt infringement, they can email DTMI’s Infringement Services area with the details, and attach the exemption certificate,” a Department spokesperson said.
At the time of writing, only one of Tina’s infringements had been reviewed.
It was rejected, meaning she will have to pay the $550 fine and cop the demerit points, or take the matter to court.
“If I were to elect to go to court and we were to fail, we get an additional $350 added on top of the actual fine,” James said.
“If we had a human being pull the car over, none of this would have ever happened.”
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
