An Australian motorist received a shock when she received a letter notifying her of a traffic violation for using her phone whilst driving. However, the shock wasn’t the violation for Cinzia Lee but the photo attached to the notice.
The photo in question appeared to show a full upskirt shot of Ms Lee. Appalled by the photos, she contacted New South Wales traffic authorities.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB, she said their response was not what she had hoped.
She said: “I got a written letter back that basically ignored everything that I’d said, except to say someone in the office does look at the photos.”
“You could see up my skirt, between my legs. You could see my underwear. You could see the phone, and right next to the phone there was my underwear.”
After a public outcry, NSW’s Minister for Roads Natalie Ward said they would review the protocol for their handling of “sensitive images”.
Although Ms Lee didn’t have to pay the fine due to her driving record, she said something needs to change as she had no control over the revealing photo or who could have seen it.
She added: “It feels a bit like David versus Goliath because you have no control over who sees the photos.
“It’s actually illegal I think to photograph up a skirt. Covert photographic surveillance should not be used in such an insensitive and disrespectful manner.”
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads said photos taken by traffic cameras are encrypted and only used for enforcement purposes. They added the images aren’t altered in any way before being sent out with an infringement notice.
