AI-powered cameras are playing a big role in the stunning leap in the number of seatbelt fines handed out across Australia, led by a remarkable 690 per cent increase in the offences in NSW, new figures show.

Australia recorded 85,768 seatbelt infringements in 2023, with that number skyrocketing to 183,315 in 2024 – and 87.6 per cent of the offences were detected by cameras, according to data from Compare the Market. 

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NSW was easily the biggest source of infringements, clocking up 80,970 in 2024. That’s a 690.2 per cent rise in just 12 months for the Premier State, which led Victoria on 53,204 and Queensland with 39,530.

In terms of percentage increases in seatbelt fines from 2023 to 2024, no other state comes within cooee of NSW. Tasmania is next at 98.3 per cent, with Victoria following on 75 per cent and the Northern Territory on 24.7 per cent. South Australia and the ACT recorded falls of 12.6 per cent and 21.3 per cent respectively.

Camera-detected fines as a whole – including other offences like mobile phone use – are a massive source of money for state governments, with 1.3 million resulting from fixed cameras in 2024, and a further 1.2 million stemming from images gathered by mobile cameras.

While AI is changing the way Aussies get fined for breaking a range of road rules, it isn’t without problems. Drivers in Canberra and Western Australia who have been hit with seatbelt infringements picked up by the technology have had their fines thrown into doubt by legal issues recently.

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Around 13,000 fines have been called into question in the nation’s capital, where authorities failed to properly update a legal update governing the use of the cameras. In Western Australia, police have dropped hundreds of seatbelt-related fines because they are having problems proving drivers knew their passengers were breaking the rules at the time of the offence.

“Camera technology is becoming an increasingly common part of Australia’s roads, and these figures show just how much automated enforcement has become part of everyday driving. With millions of camera-detected infringements being recorded, motorists need to understand that offences can be detected even when there isn’t a police officer immediately present,” said Compare the Market executive general manager of general insurance Adrian Taylor.