A 35-year-old man from Walgett in New South Wales is now $4320 poorer after allegedly breaking multiple road rules, including driving an unregistered car on a suspended licence while using his mobile phone.
On Saturday, August 17, Walgett Highway Patrol officers spotted a Holden sedan being driven without number plates on the Kamilaroi Highway in Wee Waa.
After pulling over the driver, police discovered the Holden’s instrument cluster wasn’t working, with the man instead using his mobile phone as a substitute speedometer.
However, the Holden was also found to have been unregistered since 2011, and the 35-year-old produced a P1 provisional licence (red P-plates) which had been suspended due to excess demerit points.
In New South Wales, learner and provisional drivers are prohibited from using a mobile phone – whether it’s in a phone holder or as a hands-free device – for any function while driving, including when the vehicle is stationary but not parked.
Upon further inspection of the car, officers found three of its four seatbelts – including the driver’s – were faulty and inoperative, rendering the vehicle defective with police grounding it on the spot.
In total, the multiple infringement notices issued to the man were valued at $4320, while he had 14 demerit points accrued on his licence.
He’ll also have to face Wee Waa Local Court at an undisclosed time on charges of driving whilst suspended.
