Isabel didn’t even realise she had broken the law until three fines turned up in her mailbox.
The fines – collectively worth more than $1,200 and nine demerit points – were all for seatbelt offences within the same week in Sydney while she helped a friend move house.
“I was like, there’s been some kind of malfunction. This is impossible. I always wear my seatbelt,” Isabel recalled.
On viewing the picture a detection camera had snapped of her, she realised that she had in fact been fined for wearing it incorrectly – she’s only 157cm and often puts the seatbelt under her arm so it doesn’t irritate her neck.
“I have since learned that is an offence,” Isabel said.
She is among tens of thousands of people in New South Wales who have been fined since July 2024, when the state government significantly expanded its ability to peer into cars to detect if someone was wearing their seatbelt correctly.
In 2024-25, the first year of the new technology being rolled out, revenue raised via seatbelt fines rose by 1,400% – to almost $59m from 132,698 penalties.
In the previous financial year, before the cameras were active, $3.7m was raised from 9,529 penalties.
The government says the money raised from the fines – which are more than $400 each and come with three demerit points – is invested back into road safety.
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Out of the 140m cars scanned in 2024-25, most people were found to be doing the right thing. Only 0.09% of drivers or passengers were found to have committed a seatbelt offence.
The vast majority – 88% – of that small portion of offenders were wearing their seatbelts, but incorrectly.
However, people appear to be learning their lesson, with offences down 60% in July 2025 compared with July 2024, when the cameras were first introduced.
The suspect images of drivers and passengers are flagged by artificial intelligence, and the photos are then reviewed by Revenue NSW staff before any fine is issued.
Isabel requested a review of her three fines, given the camera had snapped her again before she had a chance to receive her first fine and learn her lesson. She was forgiven the last two notices.
“I went to Supercheap Auto and I got my bejewelled seatbelt cover, so I can wear it properly and it doesn’t irritate my neck,” she said. “I never understood why people had seatbelt covers, but now I do. So, lesson learned.”
Kris Savic recently applied to get his fine reviewed after he was caught wearing his seatbelt under his arm. He explained in his application that he’d had surgery on his chest and could seek a medical certificate if necessary.
But he was denied – for not providing a medical certificate.
“I actually didn’t realise it was against the law to wear it like that,” Savic said. “I get now it’s wrong, but also it’s different getting caught by a police officer and being able to explain and show I have stitches, it might have helped me get a warning.”
Governments are increasingly using AI technology to catch people committing road offences. As of July 2025, AI-powered surveillance cameras which can detect when drivers are holding or using mobile phones were also rolled out across the country.
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Road fatalities remain high
The seatbelt cameras in NSW were introduced to help reduce road deaths, with the government noting 15% of fatalities involved non-usage of seatbelts.
However, road fatalities are higher this year than during the previous 12 months.
On NSW roads, 251 people have lost their lives this year, compared with 208 at the same time in 2024. It’s unclear how many involved seatbelt non-usage.
Peter Khoury, a spokesperson for NRMA, said there was a benefit to using AI technology for road safety but “the tip of the spear always has to be police”.
“We still think the most effective way to change bad behaviour is by having more police on the roads all the time [in] clearly marked, visible, highway patrols.”
When asked about potential downsides to AI technology, Khoury said: “We always encourage government to ensure that privacy isn’t breached.”
Camilla Pandolfini, the chief executive of the Redfern Legal Centre, said she had concerns about “any kind of automation around issuing fines and picking up offences”.
“People can have perfectly legitimate explanations, but disadvantaged people in particular might not think to challenge the fine or access legal assistance,” she said.
The NSW roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, said the seatbelt cameras were introduced to encourage people to buckle up.
“Well over 99% of motorists [were] found to be doing the right thing,” she said on Friday.
“Police have an incredibly important role to play in keeping NSW roads safe, however, they cannot physically check more than 100m vehicles for seatbelt offences in one year.
“Our cameras check every vehicle that passes under them, effectively checking every vehicle on NSW roads about 20 times a year.
“Whenever enforcement is increased, such as it has been with the rollout of our camera program, it is to be expected that more penalties will be issued initially and then decrease over time as people get the message. Our data shows that this is happening.”