Millions of drivers warned as dad fined $1,200 for 'critical' seatbelt mistake
The cost of traffic infringements for Queensland motorists increased to a record high last month – and drivers are having to fork out.
When it comes to road rules, Queensland isn't mucking around. The state has by far the harshest financial penalties for misbehaving drivers – as one dad found out the hard way this week.
The 33-year-old driver copped a $1,209 fine after he was stopped by police on Monday as officers conducted a traffic operation as part of Queensland Road Safety Week. Police found two young children sitting in the back seat did not have their seatbelts fixed correctly.
According to Queensland Police, which is warning the state's six million drivers about increased police vigilance on their roads, a 5-year-old boy was not properly secured in his booster seat while a 6-year-old boy was seated in the right-side back seat, but was found to have the middle seat belt wrapped around his neck.
The hefty fine also comes with 4 demerit points.
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Acting Inspector Kylie Doyle said there was no excuse that would ever justify putting a child’s life at risk by driving without them being properly secured.
"Failure to wear a seatbelt is one of the leading causes of road crash deaths. Unrestrained drivers and passengers are eight times more likely to be killed in a road crash," she said.
"If this driver had been in a crash, it would have likely resulted in significant, possibly life-threatening injuries for these children."
Queensland increases driving fines to record high
At the start of last month Queensland authorities increased the value of a penalty unit by 4.2 per cent, meaning drivers caught using their phone or not wearing a seatbelt properly now pay a fine of more than $1,200. Drivers caught speeding more than 30km/h over the speed limit are also forced to fork out in excess of $1,200.
That means, based off the average salary in the state, drivers caught for such infringements would be paying about 65 per cent of their weekly pay on the fine.
It comes after the state dramatically increased the cost of traffic fines in July 2022. The following year, Queensland motorists were hit with an extra $87 million in fines despite the actual number of infringements decreasing, the ABC reported.
While in many cases Queensland's fines are significantly higher than other states, authorities across the country are cracking down on driver misbehaviour in an attempt to arrest rising road fatalities. While that has involved increased police presence on our roads, overwhelmingly governments are relying on improved capabilities of roadside cameras.
"It is critical we all play our part to be safer on Queensland roads," Acting Inspector Kylie Doyle warned motorists on Tuesday.
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