Several other Australian jurisdictions already use mobile cameras to capture seatbelt offences. Photo: NSW Government Facebook.
Mobile device detection cameras will be able to immediately start issuing fines for seatbelt law infractions once the capability is switched on from 3 November.
A community education and awareness campaign has been ongoing since 18 October, giving the community two weeks’ notice to make sure they fully understand seatbelt laws before the cameras can start issuing infringement notices.
“There will not be a warning period as not wearing a seatbelt is not a new offence,” an ACT Government spokesperson said.
“Rather, the ACT Government is implementing a new process for identifying drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt or not wearing one correctly with existing cameras.”
This will add to the cameras’ existing ability to detect mobile phone use behind the wheel, as well as unregistered vehicles.
No data is available on how many seatbelt offences the mobile detection cameras have picked up (as the capability hasn’t been switched on yet) but ACT Policing caught four people doing the wrong thing between 1 September and 20 October.
ACT Policing detected 89 seatbelt offences in 2024, 95 in 2023 and 55 in 2022.
A spokesperson said police supported the mobile detection cameras as part of a wider road safety strategy for Canberra.
“Not using a seatbelt is one of the fatal five – the leading contributors to fatal collisions on our roads – along with driver distraction, impaired driving, speeding, and collisions at intersections. There are, of course, already cameras used to target speeding, mobile phone use and red-light intersection offences,” they said.
“ACT Policing will do everything we can to reduce road trauma. A camera will only catch people not wearing a seatbelt at one location; police can catch people doing this anywhere, at any time.”
In Canberra, the penalty for a driver failing to wear their seatbelt properly fastened and adjusted is a $574 fine and three demerit points.
Drivers can also be pinged the same amount for failing to ensure a passenger is properly restrained.
The corporate infringement notice amount is $2630 (with no demerit points), unless the infringement is transferred to an individual driver employee. If this happens, the fee is reduced to $574 per notice.
An ACT Government spokesperson said potential infringements went through several checks to help make sure motorists didn’t receive fines for false detections.
Checks include AI identification for potential offences, a review by a pre-adjudication team and then a final adjudication by Access Canberra officers.
“At each stage, potential infringements may be excluded if they do not meet the criteria for an offence, or if the evidence is found to be unclear or ambiguous,” the spokesperson said.
“Once issued to motorists, infringement notices are then subject to a number of review pathways. They may then be waived, withdrawn, reissued, or determined by the ACT Magistrate’s Court and/or ACAT.”
People who have a medical exemption from wearing a seatbelt can submit documentation directly to Access Canberra if they are detected by a camera.
Original Article published by Claire Fenwicke on Region Canberra.
