$10k in phone fines

Snapped nine times with mobile on lap

A SOUTH-EAST Queensland motorist says he has received nearly $10,000 in fines for a simple act while driving – resting his phone on his leg and chatting with his friends.

The eye-watering figure comes as a stark warning for Queenslanders who now face the harshest penalties in the country if caught using their phones behind the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt.

The state government rolled out new cameras last November to capture inattentive drivers who were distracted by their phone or not buckled up.

More than 37,000 people had been caught red-handed since their introduction, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said.

Queensland drivers caught using a phone while driving face fines of $1033 and four demerit points

In a post to Reddit, the Brisbane motorist said that he had received an email for an infringement notice reminder before getting the shock of his life.

“I looked into it and discovered nine infringement notices in the system for ‘using mobile phone/resting on body’ while driving,” he said.

“Each fine is $1033. I moved house recently so (I) wasn’t getting any mail.”

The motorist said he had a “little ritual after work” where he would rest his phone on his leg and chat with his friends.

“My stupid little dock thing I‘d use snapped and I just never fixed it. This is totally my fault but oh my god,” he bemoaned in the post.

“Hands-free I guess, but not according to the law.”

Mr Bailey said that he made “no apologies” for the tough penalties.

“It’s simple. If you don’t want a fine, don’t break the rules,” he said.

“Drivers have known these cameras were coming and had a three-month warning period, yet 26,491 people have continued to use their phone behind the wheel.

“What’s even more concerning is that over 11,000 people aren’t wearing a seatbelt or are wearing one incorrectly,” he said.

Drivers in north and south Brisbane have racked up the most fines, with 14,642 people fined for using a mobile phone.

Another 2242 drivers in Townsville and the state’s far north were also fined for phone usage.