Simple $410 mistake catching out Aussies on new roadside detection cameras

Seatbelts save lives, that’s a fact. But it seems a slew of Aussies are still getting caught out not wearing one properly — and in just three weeks, it’s resulted in more than 11,400 fines in NSW alone.

The costly road act, which attracts a fine of $410 in NSW, started being monitored by mobile phone detection cameras across the state from July 1, following the likes of Queensland, South Australia, the ACT, and Victoria. The dual technology not only detects the use of phones while driving, but whether seatbelts are being worn correctly too — a rule that not only applies to drivers but also passengers.

While the seatbelt requirement has been in place for some 50 years, it appears many Aussies still aren’t wearing them properly. According to NSW Road Rules 264-267, a seatbelt must be ‘properly adjusted and fastened’, meaning the sash should fall across your chest and mid-shoulder to your hips.

An ill-fitting seatbelt may not restrain an occupant properly or could inflict injury in the event of a crash, the NRMA warns.

Why so many Aussies are getting caught out by new road cameras

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Avinash Singh, Principal Lawyer at Astor Legal, revealed many people don’t realize the seatbelt cameras don’t just check people are wearing a seatbelt, but also that they are wearing the seatbelts correctly. And it could be the reason why so many people are being fined during the rollout of new cameras.

“A surprising number of people wear their seatbelt under the armpit instead of over the shoulder,” he revealed. “They often believe that as long as the seatbelt is clicked in, this is sufficient, however, it is not and you can be fined $410 and three demerit points for wearing your seatbelt like this.”

Previously, an Aussie dad was fined $2,156 in a matter of weeks because his daughter, a passenger, was wearing hers incorrectly. She appeared to make the same mistake twice within two weeks.

But the mistake is rife among truck drivers, Singh explained, adding they make up the majority of people being caught for seatbelt-related offenses. “Truck drivers are notorious for not wearing seatbelts or not wearing them correctly,” he said.

And there are other offenses commonly picked up by the cameras too.

“Another common offense I see too often is the sharing of seatbelts, particularly between parents and children,” Singh noted. Plus, it’s proven common for child seats to be inadequately restrained, which is also an offense.

“Due to the size and dimensions of some child seats, it can be difficult or cumbersome for the seatbelt to be properly adjusted and fastened,” he said. “Very young children can find this uncomfortable and parents sometimes give in and choose to not properly adjust and fasten the seatbelts, leaving the child in danger.”

Mobile detection cameras for seatbelts could help save lives

The figures come just a week after 31,000 drivers in South Australia were also caught by new cameras. Drivers in South Australia have been offered a three-month grace period, which means they’re simply hit with warning letters instead of purposes to begin with. However, NSW drivers have begun being issued late right away.

The new cameras have been slowly rolled out across the country to help curb the nation’s rising death toll. “We have a rising road toll in NSW and the simple act of putting a seatbelt on could save dozens of lives a year,” Roads Minister John Graham recently said.

According to the NRMA, 15 per cent of road deaths in NSW each year still involve individuals not buckling up. NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury previously told Yahoo News Australia that getting in the car and not putting on a seatbelt is a “really serious matter.”

“Often it’s people who are in an impaired state, those people getting in the passenger seat after they’ve been drinking,” he said.

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