No, there are no Queensland Transport plans to fine you $1500 for sucking on a water bottle or chomping on hot chips while behind the wheel.
The reports that licensees aged over 60 are soon to be banned from driving between 10pm and 5am are false, too.
And nope, you are not required to keep your headlights on at all times or risk a $250 fine and the wrath of law enforcers.
There have been posts, videos, reports on so-called news sites and images on all these – without a skerrick of truth behind any of them.
The unhelpful sharing of these falsities is not rare: these reports have been distributed, added to and commented on so many times that they have become irrefutable fact to many – widespread beliefs based on fabricated stories.
It is ironic that the traditional news outlets (now called ‘legacy’ media) had to correct the information using authoritative, real sources on these state transport furphies in regular news bulletins recently.
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The detail given in the false reports is impressive. For example, regarding the older driver limitations, there were quotes from created authorities and statements that Queensland Transport was acting on the results of cited studies showing older drivers’ reaction times were slower and they were more sensitive to glare.
This is real fake news: the kind that is manufactured from scratch with the intention of destabilising and stirring up trouble. If stories such as these serve to remind drivers to be sensible, then great. But that is the only good to come from this maddening distraction.
Happily, we can do something about this dangerous drivel. We add to the problem when we share without checking – much like the old-fashioned tearoom gossips and Chinese whispers that whipped around the schoolyard.
Resist the urge to join the online outrage pile-on of social media users. If something feels unlikely or a bit off, mimic an old-school journalist and try to verify it with at least two credible sources before sharing with your virtual circles.
Sadly, every idiot has a soapbox online.
For the record, the viral post about the Sunshine Coast’s favourite son Robert Irwin donating either $A5 million to help the homeless in Beerwah or $US25 million for the homeless in LA – depending on which social media platform you consult – is also hooey. Sigh.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
