Police are questioning the priorities of a driver who allegedly chose to secure slabs of beer with seat belts while children sat unrestrained on the floor of his car.
Police said the 27-year-old Broome man was pulled over on Wednesday afternoon with several children, including a baby less than a year old, lying on adults’ laps and on the floor of the vehicle.
He was also reportedly driving on a suspended licence.
Kimberley District Superintendent Allan Adam told the ABC the driver embodied the attitude of many road users in the region, saying greater education was needed.
He said he had “serious concerns” about the number of people driving on suspended licences and not restraining themselves or their passengers, who were often kids.
“It shows some of the attitudes of some of our road users in the way they see their priorities,” he said.
“We are doing our best to stamp it out through enforcement but we are also about to embark on public education, which is obviously needed in remote communities.”
Police say “sly grogging” is also an ongoing problem in the Kimberly with many people trying to sneak large quantities of alcohol into dry Aboriginal communities where supply is restricted.
The driver is now facing 23 separate charges.