Wild reason new mum was hit with $410 driving fine

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A mum who was pumping breastmilk in the passenger seat of a car has been hit with a $410 traffic fine because she had adjusted the position of her seatbelt.
Illiya was snapped by an overhead traffic camera on her way home from the Randwick Racecourse, in Sydney, at 7.30pm on February 24.
Her husband had been driving while she was using a cordless breast pump for their seven-month-old baby, who was being looked after by a babysitter.
The mum said she did not want to pump breastmilk at the function and had instead decided to do it on the way home in the privacy of their car.
Despite her seatbelt sitting only partially below her chest, Illiya was still slapped with a traffic infringement notice.
She was sent the $410 fine and a photo of the moment she had been using the pump in the mail. The photo showed that the seatbelt was still fastened and Illiya disputed the fine.
However, Transport for NSW said it was standing by the penalty.
The road authority argued that seatbelts had been around for more than 50 years because they save lives. Illiya was told her appeal had been rejected and she has since reluctantly paid up.
According to NSW law, seatbelt rules are enforced to ensure the safety of passengers and they should not be repositioned in any way.
'The lap portion of a seatbelt should lie across your hips and the sash should fall across your chest and mid-shoulder,' the appeal rejection letter she received from Transport NSW said.
'The photos clearly show the passengers seatbelt was not positioned across their chest.'
But Illiya argued there were extraordinary circumstances because there could be health issues if she delayed pumping the milk such as clogged ducts, mastitis and infection.
'You can see in the photo I am wearing the seatbelt but it's a bit lower, under my boob, because of where the pump was,' she told news.com.au.
'I totally get if I was holding the baby or if the seatbelt wasn't on but it was.'
A Transport NSW spokesperson said seatbelts should be worn 'low, flat and firm'.
'The rules around seatbelt use in NSW have been in place for more than 50 years and the reason is simple – seatbelts save lives,' they told Daily Mail Australia.
'Each life lost on our roads was someone's loved one – a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. The impact on families and communities is devastating.
'Wearing a seatbelt properly – low, flat and firm – doubles your chances of surviving a crash.
'Whether you are driving or are a passenger, please prioritise safety every time you're on the road.'
Wearing a seatbelt doubles the chance of survival if a car were to be involved in a crash.
Adjusting the seatbelt to be below the chest could cause injuries to the liver, spleen or abdomen which could lead to death or disability in the event of a crash.
In 2024, 33 people died because they were not wearing their seatbelts properly.