A Queensland woman who broke the law when her daughter was caught wearing her seatbelt incorrectly has won a legal fight against the $413 fine. Louise Hess, from the Gold Coast, has been fighting the “unfair” fine and three demerit points for 18 months because, she argues, she could not reasonably be expected to monitor her 14-year-old daughter’s seatbelt position while she was driving.
Woman fined $413 for daughter’s seatbelt mistake fights the law and wins. “You check your kids and everyone in the car before you start driving, but I didn’t think I would be expected to constantly watch the position of the strap of a seatbelt,” she said. “It’s not something you think you need to look at.” The infringement notice, seen by 7NEWS, shows the seatbelt strap under her daughter’s arm, instead of over her shoulder as required, while she sat in the front passenger seat.