$3400 in traffic fine fees waived

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A missing date on a driver nomination form saw a $180 traffic fine grow to $3,400, as attempts to resolve the issue via an internal review process dragged on for months.

When Michael received a red light fine for a company vehicle, he checked the logbook to identify the driver and filled out the nominated driver form.

“I’ve never had an issue with it; I must have done it half a dozen times over eight years,” he said.

Shortly after Michael received a letter from Fines Victoria asking him again to nominate a driver for the traffic offence.

“I didn’t think anything off it and chucked it in the bin,” he said.

But a missing date on his original driver nomination form was the reason for the follow up letter.

Without this being explained to Michael, Fines Victoria refused to accept the driver nomination and instead issued the business with a $3,400 fine instead.

With an internal review process proving unhelpful, Michael turned to the Victorian Ombudsman.

Results were immediate.

“I couldn’t believe it because the next day I got a call from Fines Victoria,” he said.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted, everything just became so seamless.”

With Michael’s original driver nomination accepted, the business spared itself the $3,400 fine.

“It was so stressful. It’s a lot of money, but it was more the injustice of it,” he said.

“It absolutely has restored my faith in the system. I’m just over the moon now.”