Drivers in NSW have been warned that mobile phone detection cameras will now also be able to identify passengers who aren’t wearing a seatbelt and issue fines from 1 July.
The state government says it’s a step towards reducing the number of avoidable deaths on NSW roads.
The penalty for driving without a seatbelt in NSW is $344 and one demerit point per unbelted passenger, with the demerit penalty doubling if two or more passengers are unbelted.
Data has revealed that 36 people who died on NSW roads in 2023 were not wearing a seatbelt.
NSW Roads Minister John Graham told news.com.au wearing a seatbelt doubled a person’s chance of surviving an accident, and that although it has been a legal requirement to wear a seatbelt in NSW since 1971, a “small minority” of people still ignored the laws.
“If camera enforcement can convince those people to buckle up, we can reduce the 15 per cent of deaths that involve a belt not being worn,” he said.
Do you think this is fair enough? Or just another invasion of privacy?
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