36 POINTS GONE: Driver’s double demerit double shocker
Police catch up with driver in Grafton twice in three hours with children as young as three months unrestrained in car
Police & Courts
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A MAN driving in Grafton has lost a staggering 36 points for traffic offences after being caught twice within three hours, including having a three-month old unrestrained in a car.
Around 2pm on Sunday, a Mt Druitt Highway Patrol care stationed within the Northern Region over the holiday period stopped a 29-year-old male driving a Mitsubishi Lancer on Pound Street in Grafton for a random breath test.
During the test, police notices a three-month-old baby on the rear seat laying in a rearward facing child restraint unrestrained. The restraint was also not fitted correctly.
A two-year-old child was seated on the rear off-side seat unrestrained and not in a child restrained.
The child's mother was seated between the children on the rear centre seat also without a seat belt on.
Police alleged that they suspected female was holding the baby at the time they pulled the car over.
The driver of the car told police he had no excuse for the offences, stating that the car wasn't his.
He was issued with three restraint offences totalling $0132, and 18 demerit points, along with notices for a defective brake lights and a failure to notify of a change of address.
The female passenger was $344 for being unrestrained.
Police directed the driver not to drive with the passengers unrestrained.
Three hours later, police pulled over the same driver in Alice Street in Grafton and found all three passengers still unrestrained.
He was again fined for the same restraint offences, losing another 18 demerit points, bringing the total to 36 points lost and find $2292.
The female passenger was again fined $344 for being unrestrained.
Police say both the driver and the mother of the children refused to provide police with details of the children so police could report to Family and Community Services.
Police say they will be notified of the situation regardless.
The incident comes just days after similar incidences in Northern NSW on Saturday.
About 4.15pm Saturday, police stopped a 39-year-old male driver in Moree, who allegedly had four children unrestrained in the vehicle. He was issued four traffic infringement notices for drive with child passenger unrestrained, totalling $1376 in fines and 39 demerit points.
A 30-year-old woman was issued four traffic infringement notices after her Ford Territory SUV was stopped on Cochrane Street, West Kempsey, at about 11.50am Saturday.
The woman, who holds a P2 provisional drivers' licence, allegedly had three children - aged one, three and four - in the vehicle who were not properly restrained. She was also not displaying her P-plates. She was fined $1300 and received 20 demerit points.
Police also recently pictured a car pulled over in Coffs Harbour with their seat installed incorrectly, attracting hundreds of comments on social media about the incident.