An American woman has gone viral on TikTok after she shared a video explaining why she received a speeding ticket in Sydney.
For someone who’s a certified passenger princess (I got my Ls, though), I fkn enjoy dash cam content and driving drama on TikTok. These videos give me insight into what not to do when I finally put my pedal to the metal.
Sophia Kim (@SophiainSydney) is an American content creator who went viral on TikTok after she spilled the deets behind her $295 ticket, which she got from speeding in Sydney’s Cross City tunnel.
At the start of the video, the influencer revealed that she was going 101 km in an 80 km area and that she wasn’t aware that speed cameras are placed throughout the tunnel.
“As an American, I got a license here without taking any tests without, like, learning about the Australian driving laws here and I didn’t realise you guys have cameras for speeding in the tunnels,” Sophia said.
“Apparently, there are signs everywhere, but it’s like I’m so focused on driving I’m just stressed out as I’m trying to navigate where I’m going. Especially driving for the first time in a different country on the other side of the road.”
Sophia then went on to compare America’s speeding cameras to Australia’s, claiming that in the US, speeding is only clocked when police officers are out using radar speed guns.
The Influencer said: “I thought I was saving money by driving and not Ubering, but no. It’s actually more if you get a fine.”
Sophia said that she is thinking of fighting the speeding ticket in court because it was her first time driving in the Cross City tunnel and that she was “still getting the hang of it.”
“I’m better at driving when there are other cars around me because then it shows me what speed I should be going, but like when there are no cars around me, it’s kind of hard for me to register what side of the speed I should even be,” she said.
“I’m not even looking at the speedometer ‘cos I’m like focused on the road because I don’t wanna crash into the walls, you know what I mean?”
Since Sophia uploaded the video, a lot of Aussies flocked to the comments to slam her for speeding.
One person wrote: “If only there were large LED displays hung above the road every 1 km to tell you the maximum speed you can do…”
Another person wrote: “I’m glad you’re off the road.”
Sophia responded to one comment, writing, “I was surprised how easy it was to get my license.”
Other Aussies also told Sophia there was no point in fighting the $295 fine. The influencer responded to one of these comments in a now-deleted video revealing that back in the US, she got out of three tickets by taking them to court.
“You can fight a ticket by going to court, and if the cop doesn’t show up, you can win and basically not have to pay for the ticket,” Sophia said.
“And that is how I got out of not paying for a ticket three times in California.”
Three tickets? And she didn’t have to do a test to drive in Australia? Daaaaamn.
Just like most people in Sophia’s comments, I am quite confused as to how she missed all those LED signs and warnings. They’re literally everywhere before, in and outside of those tunnels.
There are also warning for those speed cameras prior to entering the tunnel.
(Source: YouTube / Ken Sydney)
According to Transport for NSW, speeding contributes to 41 per cent of road fatalities and 24 per cent of serious injuries. They also note that most speeding deaths happen at no more than 10 km/h over the speed limit — Sophie was 21 km over.
In the viral video, the American influencer said that she doesn’t think she would be buying a car here, and I totally agree.