Badly behaving motorists caught on camera in Queensland fined $274.5m last financial year

Badly behaving motorists caught on camera on Queensland roads were fined a staggering $274m last financial year – a whopping 36 per cent increase in just 12 months.

The fine haul from drivers busted flouting the road rules on camera has surged by 36 per cent in just a year, as new high-tech cameras were brought online to detect mobile phone and seatbelt offences.

Badly behaving motorists who were nabbed by Queensland’s camera detected offence program pumped $274.5m into state government coffers last financial year – the equivalent of $752,000 per day.

The haul was up more than $70m from the $200.6m in revenue raised through the program in 2020-21.

The massive jump in revenue came as the government expanded the camera detection program in November last year to include breaches of mobile phone and seatbelt rules.

The latest Transport and Main Roads annual report reveals 580,470 fines from mobile speed cameras were dished out in 2021 – up from 444,298 during 2020.

New hi-tech cameras were rolled out across Queensland in November last year to catch motorists on their phones.

This included 878 drivers who clocked speeding more than 40km/h over the speed limit, as well as 2,142 who were nabbed travelling between 31 and 40km/h over the limit.

And the number of fines dished out from fixed speed cameras jumped from 109,450 in 2020 to 205,683 in 2021 – reflecting a significant 87 per cent increase.

Point-to-point speed cameras also caught out 5,724 drivers last year.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the number of motorists caught driving dangerously on Queensland roads remained “very disappointing”.

“We’re not asking for much – just for drivers to follow long standing, lifesaving road rules every time they drive,” Mr Bailey said.

“All revenue generated from the camera detected offence program is reinvested back into road safety by law and has been for more than 20 years.

Mobile speed cameras nabbed 878 drivers more than 40km/h over the speed limit over the last financial year.

“We have comprehensive works that are funded through this program, including targeted road safety infrastructure upgrades, driver education, road safety campaigns and deterrents.”

The government says some of the projects that have been funded by the program include new or upgraded rest stops, as well as new left-turn lanes at high-risk intersections on the Warrego Highway.

The program has also funded a $6.01m widening of the Landsborough Highway, a $6.16m upgrade to bike riding facilities on the Bruce Highway, and $2.14m in skid resistance treatment in Brisbane.

Beyond speeding, mobile phone and seatbelt offences, the camera detection program also issues fines to motorists who run red lights.