The photo a traffic camera took automatically shows the driver's right hand on his face as if talking on the phone. Photo: Screenshot of video by Beijing News

A man in East China who scratched his face while driving couldn't believe what happened next: the itch he appeased netted him a traffic ticket. 

The motorist in Jinan, Shandong Province scratched an itch on his face with his right hand while driving past a traffic camera on Monday morning. He soon received a notice, saying he had been fined 50 yuan ($7) and two points would be deducted from his license, for using a phone while driving. 

The man's call to the local traffic department didn't help solve the problem, so he posted the photo taken by the traffic camera on Sina Weibo and complained to the traffic department's Weibo account. A closer look at the photo shows the man was not holding a mobile phone. 

The Jinan traffic department on Wednesday canceled the ticket, explaining that the traffic surveillance system automatically identifies a driver's motion and then takes a photo, mistaking the man's face scratching for talking on a phone while driving. 

"Next time, remember to show your palm to the camera before you scratch," one Weibo user posted jokingly.