Navigating the complexities of vehicle ownership and traffic fines can be a headache at the best of times, but imagine being held accountable for a hefty speeding fine for a vehicle you've never driven, let alone owned.

This was the bewildering situation faced by a Victorian woman, which serves as a cautionary tale for all of us, especially as we grow older and more reliant on the accuracy of bureaucratic systems.

Danielle Maughan, a 52-year-old resident of Baranduda near Wodonga in Victoria, was left stunned when she received a $574 speeding fine in the mail.

The fine was for a truck caught speeding along the Great Western Highway in the country NSW town of Hartley—six hours away from her home.

A Victorian woman received a hefty speeding fine for a truck she did not own or operate. Credit: Nine / YouTube

To add to her woes, she also received a letter from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for failing to stop at a truck safety station, which could incur a fine exceeding $6,000 if not adequately addressed.

The truck in question was somehow registered in Ms Maughan's name, which baffled her and VicRoads and NSW Revenue.

'I've never had a speeding fine, I've never had a parking ticket, and I've had some health issues that I'm dealing with, so I really didn't need this on top,' Ms Maughan expressed.

The predicament highlights a critical issue affecting anyone, particularly seniors who may need to be more familiar with vehicle registration and traffic law.

It raises the question: How does one prove they never owned something they never owned?

Ms Maughan was adamant about her innocence, stating that the offences occurred on 12 September, when she was verifiably in Melbourne's CBD with her partner.

She had a train ticket and an email confirmation of a meeting to prove her whereabouts, yet when she contacted Revenue NSW, she was met with a disheartening response: 'Not sure, but the onus is on you.'

The ordeal suggested that Ms Maughan might have to navigate the court system to clear her name, a daunting prospect considering the closest courthouse is a six-hour drive from her home.

The financial and emotional toll of such a process can be significant, particularly for seniors with fixed incomes or health concerns.

Fortunately, after Ms Maughan's story gained media attention, VicRoads and Revenue NSW took action to rectify the situation.

Revenue NSW admitted that incorrect information provided by VicRoads was the root of the problem.

'VicRoads provided incorrect information to Revenue NSW, resulting in a fine being issued to the wrong person,' Revenue NSW stated.

The fines were withdrawn once the correct details were supplied, and Ms Maughan was relieved of the burden.

Key Takeaways

• A Victorian woman received a hefty speeding fine for a truck she did not own or operate.
• Danielle Maughan faced penalties, including a potential fine of over $6,000 for not stopping at a truck safety station despite having no connection to the vehicle.
• An administrative error by VicRoads led to the incorrect issuance of fines, which were subsequently cancelled after media attention.
• Revenue NSW and VicRoads rectified the mistake, stating that they rely on information from VicRoads and cannot independently verify its accuracy.

Have you or someone you know ever faced a similar bureaucratic mix-up? How was it resolved? Share your stories and tips in the comments below.

 

[Kahlan28]

Why can these things be so easily fixed once it gains the attention of the media. It is so disgusting that people have to go through so much stress and angst because no-one wants to help them unless it hits the media. Get your act together and do a better job!!

 

[cblayney]

So disgusting. Government services staff just don't care. I don't know where she would have started to prove her innocents and the cost she would have incurred.

 

[PepeLePew]

A few yrs back my son and D.I.L. had their beloved Holden Commodore stolen from the driveway in the yard. It was taken within 20mins of them leaving their property and when they arrived home 3hrs later they realised that not only had their car been stolen but the house had been ransacked and numerous items had also been stolen.
Police were immediately notified, fingerprints taken etc etc etc.
A few wks later they received a fine for travelling over the Gateway Bridge that was incurred after the car was stolen.
The photo included clearly showed it was never of them driving but because the car was registered in D.I.L's name she was held responsible.
No amount of trying to explain that neither of them were driving the car, it was stolen, they had a police report etc was going to get them out of this fine. They would either have to pay up or pay the costs to fight this through the courts.
Luckily they had insurance on everything but as they had only moved into their home they had built 6mths earlier they didn't have the spare cash for fighting a fine, so they ended up paying it.
The system absolutely sucks when victims of a crime continue to be victimized by a system that should be there to support them not threaten them with court action and/or jail time.

 

[Kyria]

Apparently Legislation in Victoria states that Vic Roads are not required to send Registration or Licence Renewal Notices. Responsibility for renewal payments is on drivers. I didn't know this.
I discovered a recall on my Kia Cerato for a fuse repair.
I rang my local Kia dealership.
The girl I spoke to looked up my registration and told me
that my registration had been cancelled in April 2023.
I rang Vic Roads and was told I had not paid my registration.
I logged in to my Vic Roads account and 3 emails and 1 text message had been sent in 2023. I did not receive any of them. During a check of my email account I found renewal notices for 2020, 2021 & 2022 but nothing for 2023. I did some research - for years there has been problems with people not receiving Rego OR licence renewal notices. In 2015, the VicRoads Ombudsman mentioned a series of problems including people not receiving these renewal notices. I had been driving an "unregistered" car for 1 1/2 years. I cried off and on for 3 days. I had to take off my number plates, pay for a "Roadworthy", pay for 2 "Unregistered Permit Forms" (as it took longer than what I thought). Make an appointment at Vic Roads (there is an appointment fee). Pay for new number plates and of course my Registration.
I am 70 years old and live in a regional town. Inadequate bus service, so I am walking long distances with my wheelie walker (positive - exercise & sun). My friend came across a friend at "bowls", an older gent who was recently pulled over by police. His licence had expired and he insists he didn't receive any notification. He was fined about $1400. (He had been to QLD and back and driving around for quite awhile without a licence). Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that you will receive your bills. I receive a lot of bills and my mentality has always been "I have a bill and have to pay it". Now it is "what bills haven't I got?"

 

[Mika in the van]

The ordeal suggested that Ms Maughan might have to navigate the court system to clear her name, a daunting prospect considering the closest courthouse is a six-hour drive from her home.

What a load of bullshit! Baranduda is about 12 kilometres from Wodonga and a little further to Albury. Both towns have local courts. She must be driving via Echuca and Shepparton on a mobility scooter!

Maybe they mean the closest courthouse to where the incident occurred. If so it’s another poorly written article.

 

[Kevin. A.]

There are other ways to prove that you are not the owner of said vehicle. All government run agencies have CCTV cameras installed. If Victoria road and revenue NSW bothered to look at the footage from their registration facilities files, they would have been able to establish the identity of at least the person who registered the vehicle through those images and potentially the vehicle's owner. I am appalled at the apparent lack of remorse from these government agencies even when they were clearly proven to be wrong. What would they have done if this poor lady had suffered a medical episode or heart attack because of the stress caused by their incompetence.

 

[Kevin. A.]

Apparently Legislation in Victoria states that Vic Roads are not required to send Registration or Licence Renewal Notices. Responsibility for renewal payments is on drivers. I didn't know this.
I discovered a recall on my Kia Cerato for a fuse repair.
I rang my local Kia dealership.
The girl I spoke to looked up my registration and told me
that my registration had been cancelled in April 2023.
I rang Vic Roads and was told I had not paid my registration.
I logged in to my Vic Roads account and 3 emails and 1 text message had been sent in 2023. I did not receive any of them. During a check of my email account I found renewal notices for 2020, 2021 & 2022 but nothing for 2023. I did some research - for years there has been problems with people not receiving Rego OR licence renewal notices. In 2015, the VicRoads Ombudsman mentioned a series of problems including people not receiving these renewal notices. I had been driving an "unregistered" car for 1 1/2 years. I cried off and on for 3 days. I had to take off my number plates, pay for a "Roadworthy", pay for 2 "Unregistered Permit Forms" (as it took longer than what I thought). Make an appointment at Vic Roads (there is an appointment fee). Pay for new number plates and of course my Registration.
I am 70 years old and live in a regional town. Inadequate bus service, so I am walking long distances with my wheelie walker (positive - exercise & sun). My friend came across a friend at "bowls", an older gent who was recently pulled over by police. His licence had expired and he insists he didn't receive any notification. He was fined about $1400. (He had been to QLD and back and driving around for quite awhile without a licence). Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that you will receive your bills. I receive a lot of bills and my mentality has always been "I have a bill and have to pay it". Now it is "what bills haven't I got?"

Ridiculous the system is going from bads to worse and then RTA blame everyone for not remembering that their registration or license is due.

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

Isn't it interesting that one has to go gain media attention before the 'authorities' will do the right thing. Bet the lady didn't get an apology due to Vic Roads ineptness!

 

[Barbara V]

Simple!
Get a signed Affidavit and send it in.
If that doesn't work get a solicitor.
The costs will be awarded against the authority.
Not even a newsworthy story and once again the headline is scaremongering rubbish!

Also this news is over a week old

 

[RobbyNotTheRobot]

A few yrs back my son and D.I.L. had their beloved Holden Commodore stolen from the driveway in the yard. It was taken within 20mins of them leaving their property and when they arrived home 3hrs later they realised that not only had their car been stolen but the house had been ransacked and numerous items had also been stolen.
Police were immediately notified, fingerprints taken etc etc etc.
A few wks later they received a fine for travelling over the Gateway Bridge that was incurred after the car was stolen.
The photo included clearly showed it was never of them driving but because the car was registered in D.I.L's name she was held responsible.
No amount of trying to explain that neither of them were driving the car, it was stolen, they had a police report etc was going to get them out of this fine. They would either have to pay up or pay the costs to fight this through the courts.
Luckily they had insurance on everything but as they had only moved into their home they had built 6mths earlier they didn't have the spare cash for fighting a fine, so they ended up paying it.
The system absolutely sucks when victims of a crime continue to be victimized by a system that should be there to support them not threaten them with court action and/or jail time.

I see two things out of this.
One is the Law saying 'Well, you ( not you, your D.I.L) should of cancelled the rego asap after it was stolen.
Two is lesson learned for not cancelling the rego asap after it was stolen.

 

[wjs1957]

I was born and bred in Victoria. Why is it always the VIC government departments that totally screw up since Andrews came to power? Police Force, Hospitals and everything else have failed the Victorian People even thought the State PS has been increased amazingly putting the state into such disrepair. It worked much much better with many fewer people prior the Andrew's Socialist Model. Something to do with lack of merit and KPIs me thinks. Glad I left before the Andrew's fiasco. At time of leaving the state I rated Victoria No 1, now until they change to a decent government I rate it LAST and unfortunately I have no faith in the current opposition to turn this around which is such a pity for what used to be such a great State!!

 

[RobbyNotTheRobot]

I was born and bred in Victoria. Why is it always the VIC government departments that totally screw up since Andrews came to power? Police Force, Hospitals and everything else have failed the Victorian People even thought the State PS has been increased amazingly putting the state into such disrepair. It worked much much better with many fewer people prior the Andrew's Socialist Model. Something to do with lack of merit and KPIs me thinks. Glad I left before the Andrew's fiasco. At time of leaving the state I rated Victoria No 1, now until they change to a decent government I rate it LAST and unfortunately I have no faith in the current opposition to turn this around which is such a pity for what used to be such a great State!!

You know what new job Dan the man has now? I pity the youth that this organization is supposed to help.

 

[Bendie]

If the poor woman had to go to court to prove her innocence, she could've sued Transport NSW for having dodgy record-keeping processes and systems. Let Transport NSW and Vic Roads recover their own costs for having less than adequate system and record-keeping protocols.

 

[Gerrit H. Schorel-Hlavka]

Scams are all around and surely a government ought to be aware of this and ensure that any purported official communication shows the name and signature of the person claiming to act for and on behalf of the government?

You can download the document from:

 

[CliffE]

Bureaucracy at its finest.

 

[Bill MacL]

WHEN ANY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT MAKES A MISTAKE [AND THEY MAKE LOTS OF THEM] IT'S UP TO YOU TO PROVE IT.

 

[Bill MacL]

Scams are all around and surely a government ought to be aware of this and ensure that any purported official communication shows the name and signature of the person claiming to act for and on behalf of the government?

You can download the document from:

Rules: Buried away in a Data file on some government site somewhere. I would guess that 90 plus percent of government employees wouldn't even have read let alone understand. It's all about KNOWLEDGE or rather lack of, what their job entails. It's part of the dumbing down of education.

 

[Daibhin]

Many, many years ago a policeman called at our home asking if my son was home, I told him he was but asleep. The policeman said could you wake him so I can have a word with him. Now I'm puzzled, so asked him what this is about. Apparently my son, and his friends, had stolen some things from a bottle shop. On being told this I burst out laughing much to the annoyance of the policeman. I told him to come with me, took him to my son's bedroom where he was sound asleep and ask if this was who he was looking for. The officer's eyes widend then he muttered, 'The little shit.' My son was 14 months old at the time.

So one of the little thieves was caught and gave my son's name; we lived on a small island at the time where everyone was known though I never was told who the quick thinking, possibe future MP was as we left there shortly after.

I wonder occasionally if his name is still on the list for theft or if they wiped it

 

[Viellarde]

The first thing I would do if a could afford a car over $44,000 is insure it, even before driving out the place I bought it from.

You should always insure any vehicle before driving away. Same principle should be applied to any property, eg house, boat, etc. That was the function of a Cover Note. Do cover notes still exist?

 

[wabcowombat]

These fines can be the source of a good comedy, I had a fine for a forklift speeding at 83kph when it was located at place on the opposite side of Tasmania in a cold store. Additionally it had a top sped of 25kph but the police duly processed the fine without looking at the details. I really wanted to let the case go to court to demonstrate how ridiculous this was but the office staff beat me to the punch and rang the police to have the thing quietly resolved