"Are you kidding?" Grandma cops hefty fine for honking horn
<p>A grandmother from Sydney has claimed she was slapped with a hefty fine after a car pulled out in front of her, causing her to use her horn. </p>
<p>Alma Smith, 85, was driving to work in Roselands when she got the fright of her life while driving down Riverwood's Belmore Road. </p>
<p>"There was cars parked and this guy just went 'flip' in front of me. I thought I was going to collide with him so I applied the brakes and the horn," she told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-grandmother-claims-she-was-fined-honking-horn/5f33727a-716e-43cd-b7bb-6c851ea0eba5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a>.</p>
<p>Little did Alma know there was a police car watching on, and was pulled over moments later. </p>
<p>"Apparently there was a copper behind her counting - three seconds is okay and four seconds isn't," her son Warwick Smith said.</p>
<p>Alma said she was shocked and appalled when she was handed a $352 fine. </p>
<p>"He said I had used the horn excessively, unnecessarily and that's like road rage."</p>
<p>"I went silent for a moment and I said, 'are you kidding I have never heard of that and I have been on the road driving for over 60 years'."</p>
<p>"I couldn't believe it. Is this a joke? Haven't they got better things to do?"</p>
<p>In NSW, you can only honk if you need to warn traffic users about the position of your car or get animals off the road.</p>
<p>You can't beep to say hello, out of anger or frustration or to get someone moving when traffic lights turn green, as these offences are considered to be road rage.</p>
<p>"It's pretty ridiculous, someone pulled out on her, she slammed on the brakes, what do you do? You hit the horn," Smith's son said.</p>
<p>"In a case like that, I felt like it was necessary to blow the horn."</p>
<p>Even Alma's lawyer Sam Macedone said he wasn't aware that the length of the beep could get drivers in trouble.</p>
<p>"In this case I understand she used her horn to warn someone who was cutting across so she had every right to use her horn.</p>
<p>"I can't see anywhere in the legislation that indicates you can only give a short beep."</p>
<p>Alma intends to fight the fine, but will have to wait until next year to have her day in Bankstown court. </p>
<p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>
