An Aussie Pokémon GO fan tried their very best to catch some new pocket monsters from behind the wheel, but Victoria Police did not approve.
With the announcement of both a Pokémon Diamond/Pearl remake as well as an open-world adventure title still fresh in the mind, it’s a bloody great time to be a Pokémaniac.
Perhaps that goes some way to explain why a Melbourne man has recently made news headlines, first reported by Press Start, after being fined for using two mobiles phones to play Pokémon GO.
The kicker: he was driving at the time.
According to a statement from Victoria Police, the 44-year old man was spotted by Highway Patrol in heavy traffic holding a phone in each hand. When officers eventually intercepted the silver Mazda wagon, the driver had a simple defence. He was using his spare time to hunt down some Pokémans.
A man who was found driving with a mobile in each hand told police he was hunting for Pokémon in Heidelberg last night….https://t.co/URRPzUGayL
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) February 26, 2021
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We can’t imagine what kind of Cirque du Soleil-inspired manoeuvres the man had to employ in order to keep his car on the road, but it’s worth pointing out here that you should never attempt to catch ’em all while behind the wheel.
Yes, even if there’s an Aerodactyl flying about. Not. Worth. It.
The man understandably copped an infringement for using a mobile phone while driving which packs a $496 fine. He also lost four demerit points in the process. Guess he won’t be shopping at the Poké Mart anytime soon.
It’s hardly the first time Pokémon GO has caused waves. Back in 2016, the mobile game was a cultural phenomenon.
At its peak, 90,000 people were downloading the app every hour. City hotspots were flooded with people, and fans across the globe were getting into mischief.
In California, two men even accidentally fell off a cliff after not paying enough attention to their surroundings.
You can read Victoria Police’s full statement about the incident here.