This is the moment a motorist snaps another driver using her phone at a red light.
The image, circulated on social media, has left the internet divided.
Some users took to Reddit to say the woman in the image was flouting traffic laws.
A woman was photographed using her mobile phone behind the wheel while stopped at a red light
Some social media users defended the woman’s actions, saying as long as she wasn’t moving she wasn’t doing anything wrong
Others on the social media platform sided with the driver and say there is no issue with using the phone when stopped.
A user that stuck up for the woman photographed said: ‘I have absolutely no issue with people using their phone while stopped.
There is absolutely no safety issue presented by using your mobile phone while a car is stationary.
Once moving even slightly, put it down, but if you’re stopped at a red light I have no issue whatsoever.
‘Not being able to even touch your phone even while stopped is right up there with the “every kay [kilometre] over is a killer” propaganda that has turned us into a nation of motorists that assume as long as you’re not speeding then you’re a safe driver.’
Others didn’t criticise the fact that the woman was using her phone – just the fact that the phone was in her hands
Some social media users relived moments that they had seen motorists use their phone at a traffic light and almost ended up in an accident
One user was not frustrated with the use of the phone but the fact that it was not mounted, taking the drivers .
They wrote: ‘RAM mounts secure your phone so it doesn’t bloody move. They’re used by police and the military. They’re used for off-road motorcycle riding. These days you probably use your phone for navigation and traffic alerts – why not?
‘They’re better than a dedicated GPS unit, and they’re better than the s*** your car has in the centre console. But for f*** sake, mount it so that you’re never looking down, you’re never looking away from traffic.’
One Reddit user slammed Australians who use their mobile phone behind the wheel and thought it was acceptable to do so
‘The fact remains that driver safety and motoring legislation are not one in the same,’ wrote one Reddit user
Others reflected on past experiences watching motorists use their mobile phones while stopped at a red light: ‘I saw a P plater using her phone while stopped at a red light at a 4 way intersection, someone beeped (not at her, the beep came from a car on a different side) and she instantly dropped her phone and put her foot on the accelerator, obviously thinking the beep was at her to start moving, and very nearly got T-boned, because it obviously wasn’t a green light for her lane. So even at a red light, not wise IMO [in my opinion].’
While another was shocked at the ‘lack of respect’ for the ‘responsibility’ drivers need to take on the road: ‘Those who think it is OK to give less than our full attention (to the extent humanly possible) are frankly bad drivers with attitudes that should be corrected. They should be disqualified from driving if they are incapable of coming to terms with that.’
However one Reddit user called out the hypocrisy at being able to eat and apply make-up behind the wheel but you can’t touch your mobile phone.
‘The fact remains that driver safety and motoring legislation are not one in the same. By demonising mobile phone use to the same extent as speeding, the government has merely ensured that it has another cash cow with which to raise revenue from driving-related offenses,’ they wrote.