$248 Fine for Forgetting My Headlights

TightBum on 21/07/2021 - 10:52
Last edited 22/07/2021 - 00:17

Hey Guys,

I got pulled over by the cops and received a fine for forgetting to turn my headlights & backlights on at night which I understand is dangerous and was genuinely a mistake on my part and I thought I had them on, I even saw the cops pull up behind me when I was at the red lights so if I knew they were off I would have turned them on.

I confused my start light with my headlights, the car I was driving has a headlights which come on when you start the car, which I thought were the actual headlights at the time, they don't look all that different until you're in a not so well lit area and I had just started to drive on the main road where it was really well lit.

Given I have never been fined for this before, I thought I'd at least get off with an official warning so I tried challenging this for an internal review when I received the fine but I had no luck with that. So now I can either pay the fine or challenge it in court.

I understand how dangerous it was but getting a fine for genuinely confusing my 2 headlights when I have a good driving record seems a bit extreme. The cop who fined me seemed like he was having a bad night, I was been pretty responsive and compliant through the whole exchange and he got super defensive pretty aggressive when I was surprised that my backlights weren't on.

Has anyone had any experience challenging fines in court? Or should I just fine pay the fine and get over it.
Maybe next time I'll get a car that has auto lights to avoid this experience all together..

Update:

Thanks everyone for your input. After reading the comments, I clearly didn’t know the difference between a DRL and headlights before this incident. I feel like people assume I forgot to turn on my headlights when I got confused by the two. I do always check for my headlights even during the day when I drive as I’ve had a near collision with someone in the past because they didn’t have their lights on. The car I was driving that night wasn’t my car, it was my first time driving it and I thought they were my headlights as they’re pretty bright for DRLs. The police didn’t even pick up on my headlights when they pulled me over they thought my taillights were broken until I played around with the lights to see what was going on. In hindsight, I should have asked the owner of the vehicle before I took off.

I’m obviously in the wrong for not having the correct lights on and I was just asking if anyone had any luck challenging it as the fine isn’t huge but still a fair amount for someone who lost their job to Covid. From reading the comments there seem to be payment options so this seems like a fair option.

I do hope for those of you that thinks that the punishment should have been harsher receive some compassion when you do something wrong because of an honest mistake in the future. Y’all making it out like I’m driving recklessly going 40kms over the speed limit while running reds.

Automotive

Comments

      • CrowReally on 21/07/2021 - 13:21
        +1

        Do you honestly think people like paying fines and/or don't care one way or the other if they've been fined?

        • yk300 on 21/07/2021 - 17:32

          Do you honestly think people like paying fines and/or don't care one way or the other if they've been fined?

          Not what I was implying but yeps, there are people who consider speeding tickets as a normal cost of driving - they don't care.

          • CrowReally on 21/07/2021 - 17:57
            +1

            @yk300: "Hey, some people don't seem phased by this financial penalty we impose on them breaking the law"

            "Well, I guess it's no longer effective, time to change the rules so I doesn't apply for everyone".

            — No One Ever (attributed)

            • yk300 on 21/07/2021 - 20:30

              @CrowReally: I never said it was not effective - you are the one implying it. I am just saying that it's not how it works.

              • CrowReally on 21/07/2021 - 21:22

                @yk300: Alright, I'll bite. Let's peel the onion and find out what you meant by "do you honestly believe…"?

                DashCam said receiving a financial penalty as punishment for breaking a law is a disincentive against them performing that act again.

                They actually used the term 'behavioral change', so let's whip out the psychology textbook and see what this (thoroughly documented) idea is called: aha, a type of operant conditioning, specifically "punishment". (Link for what that means in this sense: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-psychology/chapte… ). As to whether it's positive punishment or negative punishment (semantics: are we adding a financial reprimand or removing their money?) isn't key to the discussion - DashCam (basically) said "financial penalties act as a form of punishment".

                Then you: "Do you honestly believe that's how fines work?"

                So.

                Why isn't that how it works? Does a financial penalty as a punishment not exist? Are fines not a form of punishment?
                If in answering these you're persisting with "that really isn't how fines work", how do fines work, then?

                • yk300 on 22/07/2021 - 15:43

                  @CrowReally: In short, fines work as a reminder to other "good" people, on a macro level, to follow the rules. The definition of good is contextual and in this case, let's say it means people who are generally law-abiding and do not have any ill intent.

                  I am not saying it is not a form of punishment nor that it can't drive behavioural change. I was discussing the sufficient toxicity that DashCam was referring to. In theory, if you set the fine at an incredibly high amount, then it should eliminate the offense or crime. However, there still are people doing the offenses and crimes.

                  In the case of OP, it is simplistic to think that achieving sufficient toxicity through fines (or other means) will eliminate the offense in the future. It is hard to define sufficient toxicity and sometimes you simply are punishing someone who is not aware of what went wrong.

                  • CrowReally on 22/07/2021 - 16:10

                    @yk300: Fines might also work as a reminder to people to follow the rules, but that doesn't meant they don't serve as a disincentive/form of punishment for lawbreakers.

                    And while we're on the subject, it's the fact that these penalties exist and serve as a punishment that makes us think of them in the first place. Part of the knowledge test of getting a license isn't memorising a list of the fines that apply for each thing you do - the only reason OP knows it costs $248 to drive without headlights is they got caught (and hate it). And that's exactly why they're going to double check in future when they start their car.

                    "Sufficient toxicity" is underlining that there's a spectrum of prices involved. Just because the price isn't high enough to deter everyone doesn't mean it's not effective [per my comment above attributed to No One Ever]. e.g. I'm positive you could set a fine of $1,000,000 for driving without headlights and Jeff Bezos types would still happily pay it. [It would probably become a status symbol thing, really - videos of rich arseholes driving without headlights and proudly flaunting their tickets for same #nobrightslife etc, but I digress].

                    It's impossible to eliminate offenses like these (there will always be a Jeff Bezos or a forgetful person or 'someone who really just needed to get something from the shops even though their headlights were broken but they thought it would be okay') - that doesn't mean laws shouldn't exist to reduce their occurence. The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 21/07/2021 - 13:40

        Do you honestly believe that's how fines work?

        That's the purpose of fines and one of the reasons that in some countries, fines are a percentage of your income.

        • yk300 on 21/07/2021 - 17:25

          That's the purpose of fines and one of the reasons that in some countries, fines are a percentage of your income.

          So if people keep doing something illegal (such as furniture dumping or like OP), does that mean we need to increase the associated fines indefinitely until there is no more offenses/crimes?

          If such practices worked, many problems in the world would be solved already. Fines are a reminder for good people to follow the rules.

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 21/07/2021 - 17:36

            @yk300: It is the purpose of fines. For those who flout the rules, they are gambling they won't be caught. There will always be those who weigh the risk and decide that they have a chance of escaping consequences. Those who do this are still outnumbered by those who don't.

  • Gros21 on 21/07/2021 - 13:05
    +4

    You dont know how to operate your own vehicle.

    Learn what daytime running lights are, parkers, headlights and high beam.

    plus the rest of its features while u are going.

    Its not that hard.

    Next your defence for rear ending someone is i thought it had a collision avoidance system and should of applied the brakes.

  • jpl on 21/07/2021 - 13:06

    If you have 10 years clean record, you can apply for a review. Not guarantee but worth a try.

    • Baysew on 21/07/2021 - 19:53

      I thought I'd at least get off with an official warning so I tried challenging this for an internal review when I received the fine but I had no luck with that.

      • jpl on 22/07/2021 - 10:30

        challenge it with review and 10 years clean record review are two different selections when filling up the form.

        • Baysew on 22/07/2021 - 19:38
          +1

          OP is not in NSW.

  • idonteven on 21/07/2021 - 15:35
    +7

    $248 fine starts to sound very attractive when you realise the alternative is a dead pedestrian.

    Live and let learn.

    • Yawhae on 22/07/2021 - 13:03

      I mean daytime running lights were on which a pedestrian would eaisly see. Are we assuming OP was driving in reverse?

      • idonteven on 22/07/2021 - 13:15
        +1

        Pedestrians get hit in broad daylight, what's your point?

        • Yawhae on 22/07/2021 - 13:28

          My point is that's always the alternative so you are just stating the obvious.

          You drive a car… You can kill a pedestrian.

          If you have day time running lights on the likelyhood of hitting a pedestrian day or night would be relatively the same as if you had your headlights on. Most pedestrians that get hit aren't paying attention to the road.

          • idonteven on 22/07/2021 - 13:46
            +2

            @Yawhae: I'm coming from the view that the onus is on the driver.

            I.e. no headlights = cannot see the pedestrian and hits them

          • Drakesy on 23/07/2021 - 15:12

            @Yawhae: Daytime running lights unfortunately don't project, headlights do.

            I'd strongly debate that the likelihood is the same at night.

  • PinzVidz on 21/07/2021 - 15:45
    +1

    Cops need to get more proactive with this.

    Funnily enough, I've seen QLD cops driving around from time to time with no headlights on (DRLs only), particularly previous gen Camrys and Sonatas. They're upgrading to new gen Camrys now, no "OFF" position on the headlight switches of that model, so no chance of them driving around at night with no headlights.

    • Ghost47 on 21/07/2021 - 16:28
      +1

      I agree. Especially in NSW where it seems like every time I drive at night I see at least one person (mostly P-platers too who you’d think would have the road rules fresh in their heads) driving without their headlights on. It’s pretty shocking to be honest.

  • shaybisc on 21/07/2021 - 17:17

    "Given I have never been fined for this before"

    This?

  • csimpson on 21/07/2021 - 17:54
    +1

    I reckon you should take it to court, honestly and compassionately plead your case and ask for special circumstances, and let us know what happens.

  • gimli on 21/07/2021 - 18:08
    +1

    I've been luck in this regard. Was driving around sunset and usually my lights are set to always on but I had turned them on for whatever reason. Cop on motor bike was high beaming me 3 times before I got the message. Was grateful they didn't fine me but if they did obviously I was at fault.

  • berger on 21/07/2021 - 18:40
    +1

    Know the car you are driving. It’s not hard.

    I drive from the cbd to Noble Park around 5-6.30 weeknights. It’s a game to see how many people don’t have lights on.. it’s also scary.. particularly around Springvale it’s the worst for me.. no indicator or lights!

    Why assume that because dash lights are on, the rest of the car has lights on…

    • Lexan on 21/07/2021 - 20:18

      I bet there's no police around too

    • Marty131 on 22/07/2021 - 07:25

      I’m surprised new cars don’t have some sort of alert or warning on the dash when it detects night time but driver has lights switched off.

      Alternatively, why don’t cars just “always” have front and rear lights?

      I wonder if it’s because pre-LED, headlight / tail light globes had a very short lifespan…?

  • newbo on 21/07/2021 - 18:49
    +1

    I understand you don't want to lose money but I think at this point it's a much better idea for you as an individual to pay.
    Although I do wish you could fine police. Like today when on the way to go shopping for food, I saw 3 police officers forcing entry into a house and none of them were wearing masks.
    At the shopping centre, there was a police officer and he wasn't wearing a mask.
    What is the world coming to?

  • berry580 on 21/07/2021 - 18:54
    +1

    You even admitted you're guilty, what is there left to "challenge" the fine?

    Or is this just another troll post?

  • bsm2122 on 21/07/2021 - 18:57

    I was driving last week at night turning onto a unlit road. I was about to turn until the last second I saw a black car with no lights on. I literally could not see it until I saw by cars lights reflect off the other car. Does anybody know whose at fault in this case.

    • CalmLemons on 21/07/2021 - 19:26

      Without a dashcam you're in for a fight.

      But his/her.

    • oscargamer on 21/07/2021 - 19:27
      +1

      There is a very strong argument to say that you can't give way to a car you can't see .

  • YellowDieselGolf on 21/07/2021 - 19:24
    +2

    I’m ok with this.

    The number of people who don’t know how to operate their lights is staggering.

    • KSMLJ on 22/07/2021 - 07:52
      +1

      Blinkers as well.

  • supersabroso on 21/07/2021 - 19:35
    -4

    Your perspective on life really changes when you lose $50k in crypto. Everything seems like a joke compared to that, just pay the measly fine and move on, at least you didn't buy at the peak 3 months ago!

    • MontyMacaw on 22/07/2021 - 08:43
      +1

      So your miscalculations affect the way you perceive how others should suffer? That’s a pretty inward looking perspective. If you had made millions would you pay his fine for him? I didn’t think so.

      • Yawhae on 22/07/2021 - 13:08

        I didn't buy a house 5 years ago. Life is a real struggle knowing I've eaisly lost 50k in property gains….

        I think OP mixed up the mantra "buy high, sell low"

  • zrach on 21/07/2021 - 19:38
    +4

    Just think of all the nights you didn't have lights on and were not fined

  • Vote for Pedro on 21/07/2021 - 20:01

    It could have been dealt with as an education piece. Cockroaches gonna be cockroaches

  • Lexan on 21/07/2021 - 20:16

    Just make sure the blue light icon on gauge is on. If its hard to remember to check, turn headlight to auto.

    • 2024 on 21/07/2021 - 20:23
      +9

      Nek minnit OP with a new thread “fined for using highbeam”

      • Lexan on 21/07/2021 - 20:34

        Oh. Thanks for the correction.
        I also found my car has green for headlight and blue for high beam. This is a good indication

        • 2024 on 21/07/2021 - 21:26
          +1

          Also, on the fuel gauge, many cars have a small arrow indicating which side the fuel hole is on. I was driving a new Kia hire car last year and it had an arrow pointing one way on the fuel gauge, and another pointing the other way on its LCD screen fuel gauge. I panicked and refused to put petrol in.

  • WaitAwhile on 21/07/2021 - 21:13
    +2

    Honest mistake. Pay the fine. Don’t lose any sleep over it.

  • anfuni on 21/07/2021 - 21:20

    You obviously don't drive at night often and don't know / forgot how to use your lights.

    This is a great wake-up call.
    Be grateful you found out this way and not via an accident.

  • dbun1 on 21/07/2021 - 21:38
    +1

    The number of people driving around these days with no headlights is astounding, especially with a lot of them being modern cars - I'm not sure if they think they are 'auto' however don't have them in the correct position, so they don't actually turn on automatically at night.

    • whitelie on 22/07/2021 - 07:43

      I think a lot of people are like OP and don't realise they're off. Constantly lit up dashes combined with some light from the DRL's isn't as obvious as everything just being dark like older cars. I'm interested if people in this situation wonder why the road is darker than usual

  • Bills22 on 21/07/2021 - 22:00
    +1

    Too many make this mistake in the evenings on the road. It is very dangerous.

    Pay the fine, learn your lesson. Under different circumstances, you could've paid with your life instead.

  • cashless on 21/07/2021 - 22:05
    -1

    So many dumb ass drivers like you on city roads. Lucky you got caught before you caused some real damage

    • MontyMacaw on 22/07/2021 - 08:46

      Spoken like a person that would NEVER EVER be liable for an infringement notice for anything - in their dreams. It’s just mean.

  • JimB on 21/07/2021 - 22:29

    No sympathy, way too many drivers out there putting others at risk.

    Good thing most (or all?) new cars have automatic lights.. just leave them on the on position.

  • yamahamoto on 21/07/2021 - 22:45
    +1

    When you take it to court you have to contest or else the offence will be recorded in your file. Even if the judge waive the fine you still will be recorded in the file. that’s what I was told by legal aid at the court whilst helping a non English speaking relative contest a traffic offence.

  • bobolo on 21/07/2021 - 23:00
    +3

    Sorry this is not a mistake. Its actually extremely hazardous to everyone else on or near the road including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, dogs - everything.

    Think about it - no lights mean nobody can see you and you can't see them. Its right up there with the most dangerous things you can do on the road.

    If you cannot operate a car without turning lights on at night, you have 0 excuses to be on the road at all - let alone when caught by the police. Its like saying you forgot to use the brakes

    Fine you got is not severe enough IMO

    • pe arl on 22/07/2021 - 00:30
      +1

      I agree it's a very dangerous thing to do that can have catastrophic consquences. But in my life I've seen seasoned drivers who are careful to abide by road rules, never had an at-fault accident in the past 10-20 years etc. flick on their headlights mid-journey because they hadn't realised they were off. It can be difficult to tell sometimes depending on the design of the dashboard and the conditions outside. Yes, you're meant to check everything before starting your journey - your mirrors, front and rear lights, everything - but there's no denying that even diligent drivers make mistakes, and if everyone who doesn't circle around their car to check their rear lights are functional before each trip has zero excuse to be on the road we wouldn't need roads anymore. I'm not saying it's an excuse or a valid reason to contest a fine, I'm just saying every one of us makes mistakes, some of which can be dangerous.

  • pipboy on 21/07/2021 - 23:18
    +1

    $248 isn’t that much in the scheme of things, pay it and move on with your life.

    • MontyMacaw on 22/07/2021 - 08:47
      +1

      OP states they have lost their job. $248 to some people is a fortune.

      • pipboy on 22/07/2021 - 22:28

        $248 no argument can be devastating depending on the circumstances.

        But if the outcome isn’t likely to change even if it’s contested, then it’s better for the OP to try to put this behind them, and focus on positive things like job search, education and enjoying time with family, rather than feeling terrible and letting the problem snowball.

  • harrywwc on 22/07/2021 - 07:17

    if you have DRL's, then it's quite likely your car is fairly recent, and there is a good possibility that there is an option in your digital dashboard to automatically turn on the headlights when the light levels are low.
    find that, use that.
    your next problem will be getting pulled over when one of the light-globes has blown (unless your vehicle has LED headlights too :)

  • Exec-Matrix on 22/07/2021 - 07:24
    +1

    It's disgusting how many newer cars drive without headlights on and just DRLs on at night. I understand most newer cars have lit speedos on always and only denote their headlights lights on with a little symbol.

    Massive miss by ADR by not forcing car companies to have implemented this dangerous oversight better.

    Good on the cops for fining you.

    • Marty131 on 22/07/2021 - 07:29
      +1

      100% agree here.

  • gimme on 22/07/2021 - 08:11
    +1

    Very unlucky esp since you're in Melbourne. There's tons of cars in Melbourne with busted lights (thanks to no annual inspection and the state being full of shitboxes) that the cops do nothing about.

  • DarkOz on 22/07/2021 - 08:16

    TL;DR

    Headlights off
    Fined
    Dangerous; Admitted fault
    Argued with Cop
    Excuses; Not wanting to pay
    Dangerous; Admitted fault
    Challenged State Revenue
    Excuses; Not wanting to pay
    Dangerous; Admitted fault
    Asked OzBargain community
    Excuses; Not wanting to pay

  • Drumadd on 22/07/2021 - 08:17
    -1

    Your fault, familiarise yourself before you drive, assume nothing. 100% guilty, pay up, move on. The cops are doing what they are paid to do. Stopping road users endangering other people’s lives …. If you had had an accident with someone who was driving without lights would you say the same? Of course not

  • giftcardinspector on 22/07/2021 - 08:23

    Fun fact, in Cambodia, it's illegal to drive with your lights on during the day but not at night.
    I got a USD$50 fine for it :|

  • shadow7412 on 22/07/2021 - 08:35
    +1

    More people need to get fined for this - there are so many cars that are dangerously difficult to see at times.

    I really like that a lot of modern cars always have them on.

  • MontyMacaw on 22/07/2021 - 08:41

    You did wrong and you got pinged for it. Put that to one side, you asked if anybody had experience challenging in court. I have and had a lot of success because I like a challenge and treat it like sport. It’s based on spinning out the court date as long as possible to the point that the officer that pinged you only has their notes to go on for reference. It’s a long and laborious process but can work. The essence of it is you challenge their memory and their detail. You say you had lights on. That would be your starting point. They thought your tail lights were out. Lots of factors can come into play with these two points. The ambient lighting, their lights on their car affecting their vision of your vehicle. Whether he might have noticed your dash was lit up and so on. You can challenge them on as many things as possible to test their actual memory but NEVER admit you had been in the wrong. They don’t expect this and are never prepared for it due to the large volume of tickets they issue. And for those who say this is dirty pool, I’m just giving an answer to a question. So many fines are revenue gathering so if the little guy gets a win every now and then why not? Everybody exceeds the speed limit at some point and gets away with it so why not have a go?

  • kanter on 22/07/2021 - 08:47
    +3

    We see more and more like that on the road. Daytime Running Lights + dashboards lit all the time can be confusing and make drivers think they have the lights on.

    Another consequence of over-assisting drivers and make them rely on the car to do everything for them so they can pick their nose and scroll instagram behind the wheel

    It's easy to prove that it is a honest mistake, but it's unfortunately totally dependant on the good will of that person reviewing it

    • MontyMacaw on 22/07/2021 - 08:51

      Yes we see you nose pickers!

  • DiscoJango on 22/07/2021 - 08:55
    +2

    Almost as bad as people who drive with their rear fog lights on, and have zero idea what they even are or how bad they are at night time

  • George Washington on 22/07/2021 - 09:07

    if your from Sydney you can apply for a 50% fine reduction or take it to court give it a shot at going virtual court attendance :)

  • cbastien on 22/07/2021 - 09:29
    -1

    The real question here is why DRL are only turning on the front lights and not the back ones too ? (Like for all motorbikes (hard to see) and for all cars in Scandinavian countries since the 90s(because it a often dark).
    I think we should try to solve the problem(an easy one honestly) at the source instead of blaming people.

  • Flying Ace on 22/07/2021 - 09:45
    +4

    I really worry about the people I'm sharing the road with if they are so unaware of their surroundings and what's going on that they fail to notice that the road in front of them is completely dark. I see so many cars driving at dusk (or later!) with no lights on at all. It's so infuriating.

    • jnewau on 22/07/2021 - 10:18

      Yeah I would rather not be sharing the road with people so distracted or dissociated from what they are doing (controlling a tonne of metal at speed) that they can't see that they have no bloody lights on! Same goes for people who leave indicators flashing for ages.

    • kanter on 22/07/2021 - 10:35

      Hey that Tiktok isn't going to record itself! Priorities!

  • sharkie0123 on 22/07/2021 - 09:58

    when you get your license in NSW dunno about other states, it mentions in the log that in order to drive you must fully understand the workings of the car,
    this includes knowing when and how to brake,
    knowing when and how to use the lights in the car whether its the driving lights, low beam / dipped lights, full beam lights, high beam for low lit areas,
    saying you thought meant you didn't check.
    Im perfectly fine with no warning or let off for this as ive been hit by a 4WD that had no lights on in a carpark that had no lights its not a pleasant experience.

  • Waltervp on 22/07/2021 - 10:06

    An expensive mistake, but at least it's only hundreds and not thousands and no accident took place. Fair is fair. I had a nice cop fine me mega bucks/points for grabbing my phone prematurely when I was 15m from stopping at my destination in a dead end street (I could not believe how friendly this policeman was given his evil act …)… Like being fined as you put your seatbelt on as you leave instead of before. Cops have no patience or time for mistakes as they see dreadful accidents and want to be strict just so you tell others.

    And yes, we all agree, driving someone else's car… Almost everyone has auto headlights, almost everyone has current registration, almost everyone has good tyres, almost always no lights are broken, and even though it is your responsibility as a driver to check ALL these things when you jump in someone else's car, none of us do. The police is there to remind everyone …

  • wozz on 22/07/2021 - 10:28
    +1

    That sucks OP.. I dont think you should have been fined. Genuine mistake - and the reason we as a society agreed to fines/laws was to try and ensure people don't do the wrong thing and don't reoffend.
    From what you've said a warning clearly would have sufficed in your case, as it was an accident… Also sounds like an accident many people could have made, especially given lots of cars these days have automatic headlights (especially ones that have bright LED DRLs, though not all)

    I think people that disregard all of this and just say 'you're guilty' suck..
    Legally you might be guilty, but morally I think it'd be stupid to fine you

    All of this being said - if I was in your shoes there is 0 chance i'd fight it, I really don't want to spend time in court.. I'd pay the fine and be annoyed for a couple of weeks then move on.

    • bobolo on 22/07/2021 - 11:23
      +4

      Really??

      A fine is suppose to invoke pain, annoyance and anger. Its supposed to make sure you never "make a mistake" again, and in this case, check you have lights on every single time you drive at night to AVOID KILLING PEOPLE

    • gimme on 22/07/2021 - 11:29
      +1

      You must be the only person on Ozb with some empathy, here's a +1 from me! I'm not sure why people post here and expect anything less than the usual holier than thou responses. At best you'd get the lynchmob.

      • whatgift on 23/07/2021 - 20:04

        I think most posters here have empathy, they are just realistic rather than sugar coating their responses. The point is that if you make a mistake you should take responsibility, not find a way to get out of it.

        In fact I believe people ask questions here for that very reason - they know they will get brutally honest responses.

    • TightBum on 24/07/2021 - 11:43

      Thanks Wozz, I appreciate the empathy and you’re right it’s not worth the fight in court. I’ve decided to cop the fine in instalments.

  • surg3on on 22/07/2021 - 12:07

    Hey OP if your record really is as spotless as you say there is a once-every-ten-years waiver available in NSW. This worked for me when rolling through a stop sign. Simple application process.

    https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/fines-and-fees/request-a-revi…

    Kind of funny, the cop was kind of confused as this 40 year old guy had zero entries in his record :)

    • gimme on 22/07/2021 - 12:27

      Except for OP not being in NSW lol

      • surg3on on 22/07/2021 - 15:39

        missed that bit :D OP needs to git gud then

  • atwilliams on 22/07/2021 - 13:43

    Pay the fine and move on, putting it in the "life lessons learnt" category, whilst being thankful that you didn't kill or seriously injury yourself or someone else.

  • luffyex2010 on 22/07/2021 - 14:17
    +2

    $248 to remind you to turn your headlights on for the
    near future and hopefully the rest of your life which could save your life and others…..

    That's a bargain.

  • THICKnSLOW on 22/07/2021 - 15:05
    +3

    In OP's defense, some new cars daytime running lights, and digital dashboards would make the driver believe the lights are on simply by the fact that the DRL is bright, and the digital displays can be complex design to find information you need (blame the idiot car designers and engineers who okayed it).

    But yeah, definitely fine those who don't follow the road rules and turn on their headlights at dusk/dawn night time, AND DOUBLE THE FINE FOR THOSE WHO NEEDLESSLY USE THEIR FOGLIGHTS… blind bastards.

  • Pratty on 22/07/2021 - 15:11
    +2

    Couldn’t care less. It infuriates me. I see this everywhere. Glad something is being done about it.

    Take a learning and don’t do it again.

  • OzHunterNSW on 22/07/2021 - 15:26
    +1

    Yeah, it is sort of in your requirements in obtaining a licence, otherwise you place all others at risk.

    Do you forget your seatbelt too?

  • Big Lenny on 22/07/2021 - 15:33
    +2

    think of the $248 as a stupid tax

    from now on you'll be driving with your lights on 24/7

  • Tea-Aholic on 22/07/2021 - 16:53

    Because most people are unaware of things, I personally like how a Mercedes designed their headlights switch. It’s either AUTO or ON.

    Makes it near impossible to have the car at night without headlights on.

    Most people have no idea what DRL/parking lights/low beam are and when to use them. Or worst of all people who use their fog lights when it’s a clear day.

  • doctordv8 on 22/07/2021 - 16:59

    "I understand how dangerous it was but getting a fine for genuinely confusing my 2 headlights when I have a good driving record seems a bit extreme".

    Yep. Now you fully understand to the tune of @248 bills, and the point you learnt? It never was and will never be ' genuine confusion'.

    If you are not in control of the vehicle 100% you are a crash waiting to happen. I was waiting to read the usual of late but so stupid comment… Life Hack… DRL'lights are differnt to H'lights…. Bugger but was in the Instructions since day one.

    A small fine… I think you were very lucky, as most think the $$ are more important than Life and true Road Safety.

    Every one arrived home safe, and a lesson learnt, so all good.

  • raptormesh on 22/07/2021 - 17:07

    Also the more you tell this story hopefully it'll also spread more awareness around.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 22/07/2021 - 17:07

    I’m not sure that “i don’t know how this car works” is quite the strong argument you think it is. Save your mental strength, pay it and move on.

  • Whomastadon on 22/07/2021 - 18:07

    It doesn't matter why the lights weren't on, the fact is they're not on, so you're a danger on the roads, therefore, the fine is fitting.

    Ignorance of the law isn't an excuse.

    The only thing worse than someone intentionally being a danger on the roads is someone not even aware they are a danger on the road.

  • giventofly on 22/07/2021 - 18:13
    +1

    I get the need for this fine, but it does strike me as bad policing. They should be serving the community as most of their success is from a compliant society.

    This fine strikes me as just ticking the KPI box. If it is a first offence, serve it as a warning - if it is registered as a repeat offence, then give the fine.

    That being said, it is incredibly dangerous and I am seeing so much of this from drivers with new cars.

    Cars should have auto headlights as standard. No reason not to when it is such a cheap and basic sensor.

  • hopper on 22/07/2021 - 19:18

    I say try recovering the loss by other legal ways. May be with extra hours?

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