Motorists and their passengers are reminded to buckle up or face the consequences, with mobile phone detection cameras to begin enforcing seatbelt offences from Monday, July 1.
After months of testing, existing mobile and stationary cameras positioned across the NSW road network are ready to snap drivers and passengers flouting the 50-year-old seatbelt law.
While the vast majority of the 6.9 million drivers in NSW and their passengers buckle up properly every trip, a small percentage still refuse to obey the law.
Not wearing a seatbelt has been shown to double the risk of death if involved in a crash.
Drivers are reminded there will be no grace period of warning letters for seatbelt offences, with fines in place from day one as the NSW Government continues to add new measures to combat road fatalities.
Fines of up to $410 and at least three demerit points will be issued from Monday to the driver if they or their passenger are caught by camera not wearing their seatbelt or not wearing it correctly. Every dollar raised by seatbelt cameras will go back into road safety.
Data shows 150 people died while not wearing a seatbelt in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
On average, 15 per cent of deaths on NSW roads every year still involve people not wearing a seatbelt.
To help communicate the change, the NSW Government launched a fresh advertising campaign on May 19 across radio, television, and social media platforms, demonstrating the correct way to wear a seatbelt and reminding drivers that cameras will be switched on for enforcement from July 1. This campaign and images of offences can be viewed here.
The implementation of seatbelt enforcement via camera will be closely monitored by Transport for NSW and Revenue NSW staff as the program is rolled out over the next few months. This will include daily monitoring to ensure that if any issues arise they are quickly identified and dealt with.
Seatbelt enforcement by cameras follows a string of new road safety measures launched by the NSW Government, including:
- Removing a loophole to force all motorists driving on a foreign licence to convert to a NSW licence within six months
- The demerit return trial that rewarded more than 1.2 million drivers for maintaining a spotless driving record during the initial 12-month period up to 16 January 2024
- Doubling roadside enforcement sites used for mobile speed cameras, with the addition of 2700 new locations where a camera can be deployed. Enforcement hours will remain the same
- Hosting the state's first Road Safety Forum of international and local experts
Minister for Roads John Graham said:
"To the vast majority of the 6.9 million drivers on NSW roads it will seem unthinkable that some fellow drivers still do not make the simplest and safest decision when getting in a car: Putting on a seatbelt.
"The fact is that five decades since it became law, there are people still dying as a direct consequence of not wearing a seatbelt.
"It is horrifying to think that 15 per cent of all deaths on the road in NSW are due to someone not buckling up.
"Seatbelt cameras will help us get the message through to these drivers.
"World-first mobile phone detection cameras have had great success in changing that behaviour and we expect seatbelt cameras to do the same.
Minister for Regional Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
"The goal is simple: to make sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt correctly. It's not just about following the rules, it's about protecting ourselves and each other.
"We know that although country residents make up only one-third of the NSW population, two thirds of all fatalities happen on country roads, which is why wearing a seatbelt correctly is a simple but incredibly important step those driving regionally should be taking.
"The rules around wearing a seatbelt have been in place for more than 50 years, but we still see lives lost every year because people aren't taking the simple step of buckling up before driving, these cameras will not just be in the city, from the 1 July they will be active regionally as well - helping to enforce the rules and keep regional drivers safer.
"I'm urging everyone to make sure they buckle up the right way every trip and help keep everyone safe on the road."
