Hundreds of fines mistakenly generated and posted in latest SA Police ticketing error

Hundreds of duplicate traffic fines have been mistakenly issued to South Australian motorists in the latest SA Police ticketing error.

About 800 duplicate expiation notices have been mistakenly generated and posted in the latest large-scale ticketing error, SA Police says.

The fines, which were posted on August 5, were sent to motorists who had been issued tickets after a conversation with a police officer. Notices issued following a camera-detected offence were not affected.

“SA Police apologises for any inconvenience caused,” a statement released Wednesday said.

It’s not the first time a ticketing error has been made.

Information released to the opposition under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws earlier this year revealed police were battling to catch up with clerical errors in 13,000 on-the-spot fines issued in the past three years.

Traffic law specialist Karen Stanley – who has successfully voided hundreds of police traffic fines for clients – said the mistakes were one of the reasons her profession was so busy representing drivers.

In May, she said the mistakes were identified only when police looked for errors, raising a question mark over the many hidden errors not looked for or detected.

“Police need to explain what these mistakes were, and whether they were for the dollar amounts they were charging, were they for the speed detected in speeding offences or were there other mistakes,’’ Ms Stanley said.

“Most importantly they should explain the mistakes that disadvantaged the driver and cost them more money or more demerit points.”

About 500,000 fines are issued each year in South Australia.

Anyone who believes they have received a duplicate expiation notice should contact the SA Police Expiation Notice Branch on 8463 4388 or email [e-mail].