Sydney motorist collapses after being hit with $387 fine

A driver from Sydney’s western suburbs says he collapsed after receiving a fine after a detection camera identified him as using his phone.

A 62-year-old driver from Sydney’s western suburbs says he collapsed after receiving a fine after a mobile detection camera identified him as using his phone while driving.

The man was informed via mail about the $387 fine and a loss of 10 demerit points, which is double the usual penalty due to it being Easter Monday.

The driver’s son, Husni Tarmizi, says he witnessed him collapsing in shock upon reading the fine notice.

The family has disputed the claim, arguing the camera captured him holding his wallet and a $50 bill and not his phone. The image from the incident shows the man’s phone in a cradle and what appears to be a wallet in his hand.

Mr. Tarmizi described his father as “old school” and rarely uses his phone.

The accumulation of demerit points has also puts the elderly driver, who has a heart condition, close to having his license suspended.

“I went to the computer and downloaded the image and I could see clearly that it’s a wallet, you can see his phone is in the cradle,” Mr Tarmizi told Yahoo.

“In his left hand you can see the wallet and his right hand he’s holding a $50 bill.”

It’s not the first time cameras have been caught out mis-identifying objects in drivers’ hands for mobile phones.

‘In his left hand you can see the wallet and his right hand he’s holding a $50 bill.’

In 2023, a driver who was fined for using his mobile behind the wheel claimed he has proof cops mistook his energy drink for a phone.

Hundreds of Australians weighed in when his wife took to social media insisting he had been wrongly fined.

“Just wanted to get some opinions on this. I’ve received a fine for my partner using his phone while driving my car. Problem is we’re 95 per cent sure the ‘phone’ in his hand is actually an energy drink,” she wrote online.

“I just wanted to see how many people in here think it’s a phone or a can of soft drink.”

More than 360 people responded and it was mostly to point out that they thought the camera may have in fact mis-identified a can of energy drink as a mobile phone.

Dozens of people commented “drink” in agreement with the woman, with some even claiming they could clearly see the can was branded with a V.

“The “V” is there! It’s not a phone,” one wrote.

Others suggested that while the item may be a drink and not a phone, the driver probably still shouldn’t have had it in his hand.

While no specific road rules exist banning drivers from eating or drinking behind the wheel, doing so could fall into driver distraction laws outlined under NSW Road Rule 297(1).

The rule stipulates “a driver must not drive a vehicle unless the driver has proper control of the vehicle” so if someone’s eating or drinking interferes with the control of their car, they could be penalised.

The offence carries a $464 fine and three demerit points which soars to $581 and four demerit points if committed in a school zone.

Originally published as Sydney motorist collapses after being hit with $387 fine