Beauty and the Geek star hits back after copping $1000 fine over date’s seatbelt act

Former Beauty and the Geek favourite Mike Gambaro has paid a hefty price for date night after an obscure seatbelt rule cost him a thousand dollars.

A former Beauty and the Geek star has paid a hefty price for date night after an obscure seatbelt rule cost him more than a thousand dollars.

Reality show favourite Mike Gambaro was left with a $1161 fine and four demerit points after his mystery date was caught on camera not wearing her seatbelt correctly as they drove to a Brisbane cinema.

However, Mr Gambaro and his date have pushed back against the decision.

“I think from now on after this, I’m going to make sure that girls meet me at the cinema rather than picking them up, I think that’s a smart idea because I can’t trust anyone sitting in my passenger seat anymore,” Mr Gambaro told A Current Affair.

“We were heading to a movie, going to go see Mean Girls, it was a good movie, and then all of a sudden …,” he continued.

“For me, it’s a week’s wage. I mean, I can’t afford that.

“Very expensive movie date right there.”

Although the act of chivalry has landed Mr Gambaro in hot water, the much-loved ‘Geek’ said his passenger was wearing the seatbelt correctly, but claimed it was covered by her long hair.

“I’ve asked her 100 times and she’s extremely adamant, extremely adamant,” he added.

“I’m being called a liar practically from the Queensland Government.”

Mr Gambaro decided to dispute the fine after his mystery date revealed she had taken a video inside the car that night which showed her wearing the seatbelt correctly.

The stalemate between the reality star and the Queensland Government has dragged on, but Mr Gambaro insisted he won’t be using family connections to help his cause.

The Beauty and the Geek alum happens to be the grandson of legendary Brisbane restaurateur Michael Gambaro, known for the iconic Gambaro hotel near Suncorp Stadium which recently sold to the NRL for a reported $30 million.

Mr Gambaro said he is “still single” after the seatbelt fiasco. Picture: Portia Large

Mike Gambaro was a fan-favourite on Beauty and the Geek. Picture: Channel 9

“I won’t be stealing daddy’s AMEX to swipe it. I can’t do that. It’s never going to happen,” Mr Gambaro said.

Although the mystery woman has offered to pay the fine, Mr Gambaro said he won’t allow it.

“I can’t do that to her. At the end of the day, no one is in the wrong here,” he said.

“(I’m) not paying it. I’m going to keep fighting, keep disputing.”

According to the Queensland Government, seatbelts must be worn with the belt over your shoulder, running across your chest, and buckled low on your hip.

“Wearing a seatbelt any other way will result in a fine,” the Transport and Motoring rules added.

In a statement, Queensland Revenue reiterated the importance of wearing seatbelts correctly.

“For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on individual cases,” the statement read.

“Seatbelts must be worn properly to work effectively and potentially save your life. An incorrectly worn seatbelt will not work properly in a crash and may cause you injury.

Mr Gambaro said he will continue to fight the fine. Picture: A Current Affair/Channel 9

The reality star is the grandson of legendary Brisbane restaurateur Michael Gambaro. Picture: A Current Affair / 9Now

“Seatbelt cameras take images of each vehicle travelling in the lane of traffic that the camera is monitoring.

“The images are then filtered by software which detects if there was a possible failure to correctly wear a seatbelt by the driver or front seat passenger,” the statement continued.

“Where a possible offence is detected, the images are reviewed by a trained and authorised officer within QRO to determine whether to issue an infringement.”

The statement said QRO officers have access to higher resolution versions of the image for processing and adjudication purposes, compared to the image in the infringement notice.

Originally published as Beauty and the Geek star hits back after copping $1000 fine over date’s seatbelt act