An Australian police minister made headlines after turning himself in for using a smartphone behind the wheel.
His name is Troy Grant, and he took a picture of live sheep in the trunk of a car while stopped in traffic. Once he got home, he posted the image on his Twitter account. Shortly after that, he was alerted of the illegality, as he had broken the law in Australia.
Mr. Grant reported himself to police, where he faces an A$ 325 fine, which equates to about $250. He said he wanted to provide a reminder to all drivers in the country that nobody is above the law, not even if you are the police minister.
We applaud his example of fairness, as many other police officials had turned themselves in to get a fine after speeding or running red lights when they were not on assignment.
Moreover, he admitted that he did not know that taking pictures while behind the wheel of a stationary automobile was against the law. While it saddens us that an official in his position was not aware of legal restrictions in his country, we appreciate that he admitted to both wrongdoings.
We think that the world would be a better place if people recognized they were mistaken and tried to correct their errors instead of attempting to blame others and find excuses.
To set the record straight, in Australia (and many other countries), you cannot use a phone for the following: texting, audio texting, emailing, social media, photos, video messaging, or even holding it (it still counts if it is on your lap/shoulder). The restrictions above apply while a vehicle is not parked out of the line of traffic. Passing the phone to a passenger is allowed, however.
Drivers are authorized to play music, make or answer calls, and use navigation functions while the vehicle is in motion if the phone is fixed in a cradle that does not obscure the view of the road and is safely secured.
The only accepted inputs are those that do not involve touching the device. We must note that these also apply to bicycle riders and motorcyclists.
Heading home on the Newell stopped at upgrade works and then saw this. A ewe in the back out on a Saturday drive! pic.twitter.com/MBjHvFNaxr
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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