State’s heavy belt laws creates a fine mess

NOBODY would dispute the fact that fining drivers who misbehave on the state’s roads is a clear deterrent to bad behaviour. And the Gold Coast is no stranger to this, with Department of Transport and Main Roads data showing the city’s drivers are among the worst in the state.

Last year the city recorded 25,000 of about 52,000 fines handed out for seatbelt offences. Leniency was given to “genuine medical cases”.

It has been revealed in state parliament that the number of fines given out as a result of new seatbelt spy cameras have increased by 275 per cent in 12 months.

The amount of money for such fines have also jumped from $391 in June last year to $1078 in the current financial year.

Gold Coast MP Ray Stevens told parliament the harrowing story of a homeless woman who copped three fines for a total of $3000 and lost her licence.

All of which had occurred before she even noticed that her child was incorrectly wearing her seatbelt because of a rash on his body.

The state government argues that the seatbelt cameras have been in place since July 2020 and that drivers have had more than enough time to be aware of them and what they can be caught out for.

But the dramatic uptick in how much drivers can be slugged with fines could be seen as overkill, especially in comparison to the offences they are tied to.

A $391 fine says the same thing as one for $1078.

This simply adds to the narrative among the government’s critics that such large fines are more about revenue raising than they are genuinely deterring drivers from doing the wrong thing.