A woman in Almaty expressed outrage after receiving a fine for not wearing a seatbelt, claiming that items were on the seat. Police explained the reasons for the penalty, reports infohub.kz.
The Almaty resident shared her unusual story on the social network Threads. "I got a fine this morning. There were items on the passenger seat, not secured with a seatbelt... I received a fine for an unbuckled seatbelt," the user wrote, attaching a photo showing a bag on the seat.
However, the Almaty Police Department refuted claims that the driver was fined for unbuckled items. "An investigation established that the published photo was taken out of context from the automated enforcement system's data. The bag shown on the front passenger seat was not the object of the violation and has nothing to do with the issued citation. Video footage from the automated system confirms that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt while driving. It was this traffic violation that led to the administrative penalty," the department stated on its Instagram account.
Police also released the full image captured by the automated system. The department emphasized that decisions based on automated enforcement materials are made solely on a complete set of evidence, including video recordings and other data. A single photo without proper context does not reflect the actual circumstances and may lead to false conclusions.
The police also reminded that any citizen who disagrees with an administrative decision has the right to appeal it in accordance with the law, by contacting the authorized body or the court.