A man is fighting a $1,161 seatbelt fine as he believes a camera blunder missed a key detail.
Of course, not wearing a seat belt should result in a fine - however, the man in question believes the passenger in his car was wearing a seatbelt, despite a CCTV camera seemingly showing otherwise.
Gavin Storkey received the whopping fine after a roadside camera snapped a picture of a passenger appearing to have his seatbelt tucked under his arm while traveling on the Pacific Motorway, in the Gold Coast, Australia.
Advert
Though Storkey argues the passenger was wearing his seatbelt across his arm.
He adds that the low-quality photo was overexposed and does not accurately reflect the seatbelt's position.
The incident happened as Storkey's wife was driving a friend's son home one afternoon when they were pinged by the CCTV camera.
Advert
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au., Storkey said: "She had no idea and then it came in the mail.
"I remember seeing it and saying, ‘It looks like you’ve been done with a seatbelt fine, we’ll just have to pay it’.”
Storkey is a former pilot, spending 15 years in the cabin - as a result, he says that a keen attention to detail is one of his main traits.
He said: "I had a closer look and said, ‘Hold up. Something’s not adding up here’.
Advert
"He was wearing a dark blue tie and that’s not even showing. It shows the knot and then it disappears.
"If a dark blue tie can disappear, a dark seatbelt can disappear too in the photo."
Storkey claims that he could just pay the fine or take the matter to court - so he chose the latter.
"I don’t have a choice, I don’t want to pay the fine," he said.
Advert
"It’s not beyond reasonable doubt that he wasn’t wearing the seatbelt correctly, so why should I pay the fine?"
Seatbelt cameras are used throughout Queensland, picking out drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts or wearing them incorrectly.
According to the Queensland Government, the cameras take multiple images of every passing vehicle, using artificial intelligence to detect those committing offences such as using their mobile phone or failing to wear a seatbelt.
Advert
Storkey is preparing to fight the fine in January after pleading not guilty in court earlier this month.
He wants other drivers to challenge fines if they believe it is unwarranted.
"I know it’s new technology, but maybe it’s not infallible," Storkey said.
Callum Jones