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A new report from the Victorian Government suggests some mobile phone and seatbelt infringements shouldn't have been issued, while others were let off without due process.
Drivers using mobile phones and not wearing seatbelts in Victoria may have been caught by one of the nine mobile cameras in use – but it's no guarantee an infringement has been issued.
As first reported by 9News, the Victorian Government issued more than 83,000 fines within the initial nine months of the cameras operating, however a new report indicates there are cracks in the system.
With the mobile phone and seatbelt cameras being managed by a third-party company, the Victorian Government says it did not obtain "sufficient assurance … [that] rejected incidents throughout the process were sufficiently reviewed and accurately assessed to not proceed
to the next stage of assessment for an infringement".
According to the report, authorities could not confirm whether all potential offences caught by the cameras had progressed through to Victoria Police for review, and uploaded to the department's fine system.
While exact figures remain unknown, it claims illegitimate infringements may have been issued to Victorian motorists when they should have been cleared – while those who had breached the law went unpunished.
Data compiled by the Department of Infrastructure shows 97 fines were issued for mobile phone offences for every 10,000 Victorian drivers in 2023, compared to 201 per 10,000 in Queensland, and 361 for every 10,000 motorists in New South Wales over the same period.
In the first month alone, 80 people were detected using their phones in four or more separate incidents while driving – including one South Australian motorist being caught 15 times.
Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.
