Thousands of Australian seatbelt fines caught up in AI camera blunder

Around 13,000 Canberra seatbelt fines are in doubt after an administrative error left AI traffic cameras operating without the correct legal authorisation.

The issue was first reported by the ABC (↗), which revealed the legal problem affecting thousands of seatbelt infringements issued in the ACT since November 2025.

The ACT has been using AI-assisted cameras to detect seatbelt offences, but the legal instrument covering the camera system was not updated to specifically authorise it to detect seatbelt offences. That has left the legal status of thousands of infringements in question.

Around 13,000 fines are in doubt

The issue affects about 13,000 seatbelt infringements issued since the ACT began using the cameras for seatbelt enforcement.

Around 6500 of those fines had already been paid or otherwise resolved when the error was discovered. The fines aren’t automatically cancelled, but the legal error means their validity can be challenged. Drivers with outstanding infringements can pay them, seek to have them withdrawn or dispute them. The ACT Government paused the issuing of seatbelt fines after the problem was discovered.

It wasn’t the cameras that got it wrong

Importantly, the issue isn’t necessarily that the cameras incorrectly identified people who weren’t wearing their seatbelts.

The problem sits with the legal authority behind the camera system. The relevant document allowed the cameras to be used for traffic enforcement but had not been properly updated to cover seatbelt offences. That has created uncertainty over whether camera evidence can be relied upon when enforcing the affected infringements. The ACT Government has since corrected the legal instrument and resumed issuing seatbelt fines.

WA has already had problems with AI seatbelt fines

The ACT isn’t the first state to face questions over AI-assisted seatbelt enforcement.

In Western Australia, thousands of AI-generated seatbelt infringements have been challenged, with a significant share subsequently withdrawn following reviews. More than $1 million in fines had been cancelled within six months of the system’s introduction.

That case involved the accuracy and circumstances surrounding individual seatbelt detections rather than the legal-authorisation issue now affecting the ACT, but it adds to the scrutiny surrounding Australia’s growing use of automated road enforcement.

What happens to the old fines?

The ACT Government is now seeking to deal with the affected infringements retrospectively, with legislation being considered to validate fines issued before the legal paperwork was corrected.

That means the thousands of earlier infringements won’t simply disappear, with the outcome dependent on how the legal process plays out.