Girl, 17, who was fined $1,652 for going on a driving lesson with her mum has the penalty dropped - but police warn other L-platers won't be so lucky
- Hunter Reynolds, 17, was issued with a $1,652 fine when she was learning to drive
- They were stopped on a trip to Frankston in VIC since they broke restriction rules
- The huge fine was dropped by police after they widespread community backlash
A learner driver slapped with a $1652 fine for breaching coronavirus regulations is off the hook after a police review.
Hunter Reynolds, 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother, Sharee, as the passenger on the weekend.
The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules.
She was slapped with a huge fine but after publicly sharing their story, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine.
But police say learner drivers should not be taking lessons under current COVID-19 restrictions, leaving open the possibility others may be fined in future.
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Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend
The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules (pictured: Ms Reynolds with her mother, Sharee)
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told 3AW on Tuesday that blatant rule-breakers should be fined but admitted there was community confusion.
'We will withdraw it because clearly that wasn't widely understood by the public,' he said.
'Undertaking a driving lesson by itself, to go out and simply drive off somewhere to undertake a driving lesson with your parent - you are not able to do it.'
The teenager was issued with a $1652 on-the-spot fine for breaching the stage three restrictions relating to COVID-19.
The teenager and her mother Sharee Reynolds felt she had done nothing wrong.
They had planned to fight the fine in court.
She was slapped with a huge fine but after publicly sharing their story, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine
But police say learner drivers should not be taking lessons under current COVID-19 restrictions, leaving open the possibility others may be fined in future (pictured: Officers stopping drivers)
The infringement comes amid confusing enforcement of coronavirus restrictions around the country, which have seen thousands of beachgoers allowed to break social distancing rules while others have been penalised for taking a breather on a park bench while staying more than 1.5 metres apart.
Her mother didn't think taking a driving lesson was doing the wrong thing.
'We weren't in contact with any person, we weren't stopping anywhere, we weren't planning on visiting any destinations, we were just learning to drive in those conditions,' Ms Reynolds said.
Since last Monday, residents in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT have been banned from leaving home except for food and supplies, medical care, exercise, and work or education.
Australian National University Medical School Professor Peter Collignon said the $1652 fine 'doesn't make biological sense' considering the learner driver already lived with her mother.
'They're in the same house anyway,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
'How is it going to be any different if they go for a drive together?'
