Sydney grandmother fined $352 for honking car horn

An 85-year-old woman has been left shocked after being slapped with a fine for doing something most drivers would think was totally OK.

Alma Smith has been fined for honking her car horn. Picture: 9News

A Sydney woman claims she was “very unfairly” fined $352 for beeping her car horn to warn a driver who pulled out in front of her.

Alma Smith, 85, plans to fight the fine for the June incident in court.

“I thought I was going to collide with him so I applied the brakes and the horn,” she told 9News.

However, Ms Smith was then pulled over by a police officer travelling behind her.

“They said I had used the horn excessively, unnecessarily, and that’s like road rage,” she said.

“I went silent for a moment and I said to him, ‘Are you kidding? I have never heard of that and I have been on the road driving for over 60 years.’”

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Alma Smith has been fined for honking her car horn. Picture: 9News

Ms Smith’s son added that the issue was she held her horn down for too long.

While it may not be a known rule, it is definitely not the first time a cop has exercised their power to punish honking. And it is not isolated to NSW.

In 2020, a man took to social media to share his outrage at being slapped with a $253 fine by SA Police for honking his horn outside a pizza bar “when not permitted to do so”.

The matter can be taken to court in NSW but it would cost you even more. Picture: 9News

Car horns are allowed to be used for alerting other road users and animals to your presence.

If you use it for anything else, like a goodbye honk or letting someone know the traffic light has turned green, you could face a fine in all Australian jurisdictions.

NSW carries the largest fine while Western Australia has the smallest at $50.

If a driver in NSW chooses to take the matter to court, like Ms Smith, she faces a maximum penalty of $2200.