![\"Hamish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/07ef20e984b872b4ba7b8d62f82c29b34424604d.png\")
Save<\/p>\nSave<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch says a debate into how the state\u2019s new AI-powered traffic cameras are fining drivers for passenger seatbelt breaches was a worthy one to have and that all options were on the table.<\/p>\n The new cameras have been fining people for traffic infringements like speeding, mobile phone use and incorrect seatbelt use since October.<\/p>\n However, reports by the ABC last week uncovered a horde of irate road users who had been fined multiple times, sometimes in the same day, for seatbelt offences by passengers they weren\u2019t aware of or couldn\u2019t prevent.<\/p>\n The furore comes as the WA government plans to spend a further $24 million to purchase six new mobile AI traffic cameras as well as a range of fixed AI cameras like those on the Kwinana freeway.<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking to ABC Mornings, Blanch acknowledged the frustration in the community and the issues of multiple fines.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we would all agree, as a community, not wearing the seat belt increases death on our roads, and that\u2019s got to be in the back of everyone\u2019s mind and certainly, first responders know only too well the trauma and the grief it causes families and themselves when they attend fatal car accidents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving said that, I know you\u2019ve received a large amount of feedback on your show about this causing grief for many others, particularly in a timeframe where they might receive multiple fines and also being responsible for other adults in the car.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s a really worthy debate at the moment, with the introduction of these new AI safety cameras, and I think only that conversation will lead to a better understanding of where that balance lies.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article One caller to the ABC last week said she was pinged twice two days over the holiday period for the same offence.<\/p>\n She said her daughter, who was neurodivergent, had been a passenger in the car and hadn\u2019t been wearing her seatbelt properly.<\/p>\n \u201cI am looking at the road. I\u2019ve tried to do the right thing, I\u2019ve had the right conversations, and I checked her as we were leaving, but I was focused on the road,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gone from zero demerit points to losing my license, and I\u2019m the only one working in the family at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about whether passenger seatbelt offences should be separated from driver seatbelt offences, Blanch responded: \u201cI think these are all topics on the table that no doubt everyone\u2019s really pushing for a solution here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think everyone would agree we don\u2019t want lots of people losing their license because of decisions made and on multiple occasions, they\u2019ve received five or six fines, and that could be a real problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Road Safety Commission is conducting a broader review into traffic penalties which will include the cameras and how they operate.<\/p>\n Despite the issues plaguing the cameras, the WA government is pressing ahead with plans to expand its fleet of mobile cameras from six to 12.<\/p>\n The new cameras were expected to be operational by September this year, and the commission, which manages their use, told Drive they were proving to be effective.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fact, they are providing new insights into driver and passenger behaviour which will be the focus of more education and encouragement awareness campaigns,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n A spokesman for Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said if multiple offences are captured before the first infringement arrives in the mail, the subsequent infringements can be waived and this process is happening now.<\/p>\n However, government has backed in its position that drivers are responsible for their passengers.<\/p>\n \u201cWestern Australian road users had nine months of warnings, which included caution notices and education campaigns before the cameras went live to understand what these safety cameras are designed to do – which is save lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe law is clear and the responsibility remains with the driver to ensure passengers are wearing their seatbelt correctly.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence shows not wearing a seatbelt correctly can have devastating – and deadly – consequences, but any driver who has received an infringement may request a free review of their infringement.\u201d<\/p>\n In December, the state government announced it had dished out $13 million in fines in just one month.<\/p>\n Some of the worst behaviour captured between October 8 and November 8 included a truck driver driving along Mitchell Freeway with no hands on the wheel, using his laptop and mobile phone while not wearing a seatbelt.<\/p>\n Another driver was caught wearing no seatbelt while cradling an unrestrained baby, while another was caught driving 20 kilometres over the speed limit in a school zone while using a mobile phone with no hands on the wheel.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/706cd438be75b9c366368413f9646cd8a6772f41276bfdab4e74ce77f9fb08ea.jpeg\")
New AI safety camera pictures have caught WA drivers up to some strange things while behind the wheel. But some who have been caught say their fines have been excessive, or wrong entirely.<\/p>\n![\"WA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ac63b46acf304a5c45ad1749ebb1e53b8baa0cac0dfdc093c561799be8c665d9.jpeg\")
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch.Hamish Hastie<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/750e539ec701585dd09355a6d30e515df3c5f6cff5b0e2cf0a3546f281240658.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Hamish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/07ef20e984b872b4ba7b8d62f82c29b34424604d.png\")
Hamish Hastie<\/a> is WAtoday’s state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-521024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}