WA police drop AI seatbelt fines amid influx of complaints

Hundreds of seatbelt fines generated by controversial AI-assisted traffic cameras are being dropped by police in Western Australia due to a lack of proof drivers knew their passengers were not properly fastened in.

The Department of Transport introduced the road safety cameras in October last year, which has resulted in police issuing a total of 81,412 seat belt-related infringements, which often carry a $550 fine and 8 demerit points.

Most Australian states now have some form of the new camera system, which uses AI to identify potential mobile phone and seatbelt breaches, with fines then sent to drivers.

Many people have since contested these infringements, and approximately 7 per cent — or about 5,700 — have been overturned following a request for review.

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said hundreds of fines had been dismissed because there was "no reasonable prospect" of a conviction.

"I think we only receive about 5 per cent of all of those matters and only about 0.1 or 0.2 per cent actually result in a trial," Mr Blanch told 102.5 ABC Perth.

"We don't want to waste the courts' time on a matter we aren't going to win anyway."

A review of penalties from AI cameras was underway, Mr Blanch said.

"I think it's our job and the government's job to assess how this is going and whether this is a burden," he said.

No grounds for prosecution

Lisa Taylor was issued one of these fines after the AI camera captured her 10-year-old daughter with the sash of the seatbelt under her arm. 

She was driving back from a family holiday in Dunsborough on Boxing Day at the time, and was in stop-start traffic on the Kwinana Freeway.

"I did not in that moment have control over my child, as my eyes were on the road," she said.

Lisa contested the infringement, and it was overturned more than eight months later.

She told the ABC a police prosecutor phoned her this week and said there were no grounds to reasonably prosecute her.

"He said in no circumstances do they want drivers looking around and checking their kids, partners or their friends are strapped in,"

she said.

'Reasonable defence'

Commissioner Blanch said police prosecutors were dropping the infringements after hearing the "reasonable defences" put forward by drivers.

"That doesn't mean everyone can make up a story and just tell us what they think,"

he said.

However, several other drivers whose fines were dropped told the ABC they were not contacted by police, instead receiving letters months later saying no further action would be taken.

"Following the assessment of the available evidence, the Western Australian Police Force has decided not to proceed with prosecution of this matter," the letters read.

Emily Esplan's husband received one these letters after he contested a seatbelt infringement caught by a camera on Toodyay Road.

"I didn't know whether to just be relieved or to pop the champagne, we went out to dinner to celebrate," she said.

Ms Esplan said the camera captured her seconds after her seatbelt had slipped off her arm while she was reaching into the backseat to give her four-year-old child a bottle of water. 

Her husband, who was driving, was then fined.

The couple had been warned that if they lost the case, they would be required to play legal costs, as well as the fine.

"My husband wanted to pay the fine and get it over with … the thought of having to go to court was very scary," Ms Esplan said.

"It was very, very daunting."

A change in behaviour

The Road Safety Commission says the presence of AI cameras has dramatically reduced the number of people using their mobiles phones or wearing their seat belts incorrectly on the road, potentially saving lives.

According to the commission, the rate of seatbelt or mobile phone infractions detected by AI cameras has fallen 76 per cent from September 2025 to August 2026. 

The cameras, however, were still being trialled in September.

"The 10-year trend to 2023, showed 20 per cent of motor vehicle occupant deaths on average involved people not wearing a seatbelt," a commission spokesperson said.

"In 2025, after two years of trialling and implementing different education and awareness campaigns, as well as enforcement programs this figure has now dropped to 13.8 per cent."