Phone and seatbelt camera hot spots: Where Qld’s drivers are racking up millions in fines

Queensland motorists have been fined over $30 million for using their phones and not wearing seatbelts – including one driver who was fined $10k after being caught nine times. SEE THE HOT SPOTS

Queensland motorists have been fined over $30 million for using their phones and not wearing seatbelts, and Brisbane drivers are the worst offenders, new data has revealed.

In the first three months since new covert cameras went live, 37,594 fines have been dished out – 26,491 to drivers using their phones and 11,103 to people not wearing seatbelts.

It means more than $27.3 million in fines were given out to drivers breaching the mobile phone rule and $4.6 million in penalties were dished out to those caught breaching seatbelt laws between November 1 and February 7.

In traffic-dense Brisbane, drivers accounted for over half the mobile phone offences, with almost 300 people a week being caught by the fixed and roving cameras.

Queensland motorist fined almost $10,000 in fines after being caught with phone on lap nine times.

It comes as one driver revealed they had been caught nine times and hit with almost $10,000 in fines for being caught driving with a phone on their lap along the Western Freeway in Brisbane.

“My stupid little dock thing I’d use snapped and I just never fixed it,” the driver told Reddit users.

“This is totally my fault but oh my god … I moved house recently so wasn’t getting any mail.”

The driver told The Courier-Mail the fines were “seriously going to financially impact my life for a long while”.

The cameras have caught 26,491 motorists on their phones between November 1 and February 7.

The Courier-Mailrecently revealed that the value of unpaid fines owed by drivers caught using their mobile phones has soared by more than 90 per cent since the new penalties were introduced on November 1.

The State Penalties Enforcement Registry is now chasing down about $15.2 million in unpaid fines owed by distracted drivers – up from $7.8 million in January 2020.

Queensland has the toughest laws in the country for the offence, with a $1033 fine and four demerit points for using a mobile phone illegally while driving.

Under the current rules, the seatbelt penalty is a $413 fine and three demerit points.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the funds raised through the cameras would be used on road safety initiatives.

“It’s simple. If you don’t want a fine, don’t break the rules,” he said.

“The funds from distracted driver cameras, as with all camera detected offences, are

reinvested in road safety initiatives and education programs.”

The value of fines and penalties will be increased by 4.3 per cent next financial year in line with the Brisbane CPI figure.