Baby photographed sitting on passenger's lap in Kwinana, driver fined

A baby has been photographed sitting on the lap of a passenger while the vehicle was travelling through Kwinana.

A concerned member of the public took the photo, which was supplied to The West Australian, before reporting the incident to local police on Monday.

"Officers from Road Policing Command attended the residence of the driver of the vehicle on Wednesday evening, 14 August 2024," a WA Police spokesperson said.

"The driver was issued a Traffic Infringement Notice for the offence of ‘Driver Correctly Wearing a Seatbelt and Passengers Under 16 Years Unrestrained’. It is a fine of $550 and incurs 4 demerit points.

"It is believed the child was being held by a passenger at the time."

It comes after the Road Safety Commission recently launched a new campaign raising awareness of the importance of wearing seatbelts.

One in five people who died in a crash on WA roads over the last year years were not wearing a seatbelt.