Big change coming to driving fines - and Aussies are divided

The change was first trialled in February, but now it's making its way across one Aussie state - and not everyone is happy about it.

In the past, we’ve all been warned that any text you receive about paying a fine is a scam.

But, it seems that this will no longer be the case in one Aussie state, with a huge change to fines on the way - and people are hoping it doesn’t make its way around the country.

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Image: iStock.

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No more paper!

Victoria Police has this week announced that they have rolled out new technology allowing for officers to create and issue penalty infringement notices electronically.

Electronic penalty infringement notices, referred to as ePINS, are issued via a new ePIN application on Victoria Police issued mobile devices, allowing members to to view information on penalty codes, penalty amounts, demerit points, and calculate infringement due dates at the touch of a button.

But, the most controversial part is that this new technology will allow members of the public to receive their infringement notices electronically.

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Nope, it’s not a scam

In Victoria, if you have an interaction with police, you can opt into receiving your infringement notice electronically.

To do this, you must provide your email address or mobile phone number, to which you’ll then be sent the notice as a PDF or text message respectively.

You can also opt out of this if you’re not able to receive the information electronically, meaning your infringement notice will instead be printed and mailed to your residential address.

The change, however, is intended to create a more efficient process, allowing for more time to be spent policing and focusing on community safety - instead of printing out and issuing paper infringement notices.

“This new technology makes a significant difference to how we issue fines, and how the public receives them,” said Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner, Wendy Steendam.

“With Victoria now introducing digital licenses and a lot of traditional paperwork now digital, introducing electronic infringements is a natural and timely progression for the force.

“The ePINs application simplifies the process for our police and members of the community, making it quicker and easier to issue and receive infringement notices.

“Reducing the time required for police to complete paper-based administration means we can dedicate more time to policing and community safety.”

Is it really a good thing?

Needless to say, not everyone is happy about this change.

In one local community group on Facebook, a number of Victorians labelled it a money making scheme.

“Real crime doesn’t pay…they’ve gotta raise revenue somehow,” one person said.

“Corporations who need to make money,” another agreed.

Others were concerned about the necessity of asking for additional personal information.

However, many people said it was a positive thing - impacting only those who were doing the wrong thing in the first place.

“Sounds good. Gotta keep up with the times. A digital fine is really no concern to me and the least of my worries. At least it will be easy to pay if I ever manage to get one,” said one Facebook user.

“Pretty simple really obey the law and you've got nothing to worry about,” said another.

“If the police become more efficient, allowing them to be in more places more often then it can only be a good thing,” a third person agreed.

State Highway Patrol members were the first to begin issuing ePINs in Victoria in February. They will be rolled out throughout the state in the coming months, with all Victoria Police members set to be equipped to issue infringements electronically by June 2025.

Originally published as Big change coming to driving fines - and Aussies are divided