NRMA pushes for penalty change as seatbelt offences skyrocket in NSW

Seatbelt fines have surged in one state, with almost nine in 10 offences involving motorists or passengers wearing their restraints incorrectly rather than not wearing them at all. New figures from the NRMA show 126,728 seatbelt infringements were issued in NSW during the 2024-25 financial year, after AI-powered cameras were introduced across the state. NSW seatbelt fines surge 2400 percent with AI cameras More than 88 per cent of the fines, or 111,521, were for incorrect seatbelt use. Just under 12 per cent were issued to people who were not wearing a seatbelt at all. “Seatbelts have protected road users for more than 50 years, but they only work when worn correctly,” an NRMA statement said. “New enforcement technology has revealed that incorrect seatbelt use is widespread, particularly among passengers.”

The number of fines jumped 2357 per cent from the previous year, with 132,755 infringements recorded after the cameras were introduced. A seatbelt offence can attract a fine of about $400 and three demerit points. The fines generated about $50 million for the NSW Government, which the government says is reinvested into road safety programs. But the NRMA says the figures show there is still confusion about how seatbelts should be worn. Its new Buckle Up Right report surveyed 1007 NSW residents and found 16 per cent of motorists did not always wear their seatbelts correctly. Almost 40 per cent did not know whether the driver or passenger receives a camera-detected fine when a passenger is caught without a properly worn seatbelt. Passengers were responsible for 62 per cent of the offences recorded in the report.

The NRMA wants drivers to be able to nominate adult passengers responsible for seatbelt offences, a proposal similar to changes currently before the Queensland Parliament. “Drivers nominating adult passengers who break the law ensures the penalty lands with the person committing the crime because nobody should lose their licence for an offence committed by someone else,” NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said. “After all, drivers should be focused on the road ahead of them.” The NRMA supports the use of cameras to enforce seatbelt laws but is calling for more education about correct seatbelt use. “When you have an almost 24-fold increase in fines and almost 90 per cent of those fines are for incorrect seatbelt use rather than no use at all, something is not right,” Khoury said.

The survey found 33 per cent of drivers would still drive if a passenger was not wearing a seatbelt correctly. Eleven per cent said they never checked whether passengers were wearing their seatbelts correctly, while five per cent said they never checked whether passengers were wearing one at all. Khoury said older drivers and pregnant women were two groups of particular concern, with cushions and other devices potentially changing where a seatbelt sits. “We surveyed 200 women who were either pregnant or had been pregnant within a 12-month period and found that almost a quarter were not wearing seatbelts or weren’t wearing them correctly, because it was either uncomfortable or they were afraid that it would hurt them or hurt their baby,” he said. “So clearly there’s a lot of education there that needs to take place..”

The most common situations where people said they did not always wear a seatbelt correctly were on private property, at 34 per cent, and on short trips close to home, at 31 per cent. A further 20 per cent said they were less likely to wear a seatbelt correctly when three or more people were seated in the back. The NRMA says 32 people are killed and 74 seriously injured in NSW each year while not wearing a seatbelt. It is calling for an immediate, large-scale public education campaign before any expansion of the seatbelt camera program. “Really we’ve done nothing to educate and remind people that it’s not just about anchoring it in, you’ve got to make sure it’s over the shoulder, and that needs to change,” Khoury said. “You can adjust the surroundings in the vehicle to make yourself more comfortable if it’s a comfort issue. You can move the seatbelt up and down, you can change the seat, you can change the steering wheel.”