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It’s surprising that more than 10,000 people per year are fined for not wearing their seatbelt despite the high rates of motor vehicle crashes and incidents on NSW roads every day. The importance of wearing a seatbelt can be demonstrated through the multiple instances where a life has been tragically lost due to simply overlooking the need to buckle in. According to the NSW Government, each year, around 29 people are killed and 76 are seriously injured on NSW roads directly due to not wearing a seatbelt or wearing a seatbelt incorrectly.
In response to these shocking numbers, the NSW government is planning to expand the use of mobile phone detection cameras to additionally enforce seatbelt offences from the 1st of July 2024. This expansion aims to reinforce the Governments incentive on the importance of road safety and the advocation for safe transportation in NSW by encouraging the necessity of wearing seatbelts and wearing them correctly.
This next part may seem irrelevant as we all (hopefully) wear a seatbelt every time we get in a motor vehicle and are all very familiar with the process of buckling and unbuckling. However, I would like to stress that the introduction of seatbelt cameras will additionally look for incorrect usage of seatbelts. Meaning if you wear your seatbelt incorrectly, you are eligible for a fine and a loss of demerit points. As the NSW government stresses, ‘seatbelts save lives’ if they are adjusted ‘low, flat and firm.’ This means that the belt should be placed low on your hips to fully secure body weight, completely flat with no twists and turns or folds and that the belt is secured by removing the slack until it is firm. And yes, we may all be temped to adjust our seatbelt from time to time (especially when the belt is too hot to touch after cooking in the Australian sun all day). However, we must avoid incorrectly wearing the belt unless we want fines and demerit points (being scorched will unfortunately suffice).
Additionally, if you have fallen victim to that moment when you physically cannot pull out your seatbelt due to it being jammed in the holder (this event will typically occur when you are running late to important things), it may be temping to not wear your seatbelt at all. However, please instead, safely pull over, stop the vehicle, attempt to wrestle the seatbelt out of the holder, and buckle up.
If you have found yourself to have received a fine from the Mobile Phone detection cameras in relation to a seatbelt offence, and, don’t believe you have committed the offence, you can ask Revenue NSW for a review or further the matter can be determined by a Magistrate in a NSW Local court. Additionally, if you were not driving the vehicle at the time of the offence, you can nominate the person responsible for the offence.
Consequently, if you have been found to not be wearing a seatbelt properly or at all, you are allegeable for a fine of $344 and a loss of 3 demerit points. These penalties may vary on the situation however, if you drive while not wearing a seatbelt, or fail to make sure that your passengers are properly wearing a seatbelt, you are guaranteed to receive a fine and lose demerit points.
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