I was fined £200 for passing my kids food in the car – I was just being helpful

A MUM and her husband were fined £229 for passing food to their kids in the backseat of their car.

The couple were on a long drive ahead of a family weekend away with their two kids, Remy, 5 and Mila, 2, who were sitting in the backseat.

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“They were asking for food, and I had some in the front seat, so I took it out for the kids and handed each of them something,” said mum, Maria.

The 35-year-old couldn’t believe it when she later found out she had broken the law.

Maria and her husband, Peter, were left shocked a month later in April 2022 when they received a £229 fine in the mail, as well as three demerit points.

Photographic evidence of Maria was attached to the fine, and the reason given was “not wearing a seatbelt” or “wearing a seatbelt incorrectly”.

Maria was in the front passenger seat of her car when the incident took place.

“I said to him, ‘Oh, they’ve made a mistake’,” the mum-of-two said.  

“I kept looking at it and it took me a while to realise just how I was wearing my seatbelt incorrectly”.

The family of four were on the Western Freeway, Brisbane, when the simple but law breaking task was captured by traffic cameras.

“As I turned around, the seat belt must have gone under my left arm and it was possibly left that way for a couple of minutes while I sorted the kids out, then I put it back normally,” Maria said.  

“It’s something I would have done before on long car trips – it’s unavoidable with young kids in the back… it’s a very easy mistake to make.”

Maria and her husband said they had no idea this law or fine even existed and was the first offence of this kind to happen to the couple.

“It was news to me – we were both so shocked,” she said.

The mum and dad of two admit to breaking the law but argue that the punishment is unjust when considering the level of the crime.

“I’m not opposed to this type of fine existing, and understand wearing a seatbelt that way is unsafe, but I just think the cost is disproportionate to an insubstantial offence,” she says.

“If the fine was £100 or £270 it would be as much of a deterrent as a £229 one.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard another mum was fined for the exact same thing, but six months later, hers was £570.

“I don’t understand the justification of such a huge increase when the cost of living has gone up so much, and there’s already so much pressure on families. It’s unnecessary and way too much – I didn’t endanger anyone else”.

This comes after a man was fined  £500 after his wife reached across him to adjust the sun visor.

The man was left fuming after receiving invasive photos from the council along with their hefty fine.

The photos revealed an up skirt shot of his wife’s underwear which outraged the couple, who are now demanding an apology.

And a driver was left stunned after receiving a £500 fine after security camera footage accused her of talking on the phone while driving.

The 19-year-old claims she was vaping and was not breaking any laws.