Driver slapped with $550 fine and demerit points after front passenger caught holding a baby

Police have caught up with a driver after his front passenger was snapped holding a baby while on the road in Kwinana on Monday. The male driver was slapped with a $550 fine and four demerit points after officers from the Road Policing Command attended his residence and issued an infringement for a passenger under 16 not being restrained. The photograph taken by Tahlia McDonough and posted on social media showed the man driving a white Honda CR-V while the passenger held a baby. Ms McDonough’s partner Jack said they were left distraught when they saw the baby not in a car seat as the couple have a young child of their own. They reported the incident to Kwinana Police Station on Monday afternoon. The driver is not the first to be publicly outed doing the wrong thing while behind the wheel. More than 11,000 people were not wearing seatbelts during a recent six-month trial of new safety cameras in WA. Latest statistics also reveal that 23 people who lost their lives on WA roads in 2023 were not wearing a seatbelt. In 2022, 25 people who died in crashes were not buckled up.