Drivers in Queensland successfully battle seat belt fines after installing high-tech cameras

Hundreds of drivers have successfully fought hefty fines after being caught by high-tech mobile cameras for not wearing their seat belts.

Since December 2, 335 fines imposed on drivers in Queensland have been withdrawn and overturned, while another 69 remain in court.

The high-tech cameras rolled out across the state in November 2021, resulting in 56,342 fines being issued in the first 13 months.

Approximately 33,288 of those violations were violations by passengers who were not properly buckled up.

The successful challenges come as another Victoria driver revealed how motorists could avoid paying their fines by using a little-known trick.

Seat belts remain one of the most important automotive safety devices, reducing the likelihood of fatal injuries by 74 percent.

A driver has been fined after the passenger was caught holding a child on his lap (pictured)

The installation of hi-tech cameras (pictured) has led to a huge increase in fines, with the majority catching drivers or passengers not wearing a seat belt

A spokesman for the Department for Transport and Thoroughfares said a failure to wear a seatbelt infraction could be stopped for a number of reasons – primarily if additional information or evidence was presented, the Courier Mail reported.

This may include medical certification of the motorist’s ability to wear a properly adjusted seat belt or other information about the type of seat belts in the vehicle.

The TMR spokesman said submissions could also be made regarding the circumstances of the crime that “could give rise to a defence.”

In other cases, the person who received the fine could also name the actual driver who committed the offense in order to receive the fine.

“Violation notices for camera-detected violations are issued to the registered operator recorded for the vehicle. The images from the cameras are filtered by artificial intelligence software,” said the TMR spokesman.

“If a possible violation is identified, the image will be independently reviewed by two authorized officers to determine if a violation has been committed.

“If a violation cannot be determined, no violation notice will be issued.”

The driver (pictured) revealed how he got out of his $250 fine after driving 68 mph in a 60 mph zone

The spokesman said motorists who felt they had been wrongly fined could view their pictures by logging into the TMR online service portal, or they could make an online request to have the matter reviewed.

It comes as a driver shared online how he managed to avoid paying his speeding fine while still staying on the right side of the law.

Adam Metwally said he was driving in a 60km/h zone at 68km/h when he was fined by Victoria Police.

He revealed how a driver was able to downgrade his speeding fine to an official warning using a little-known government website.

Mr Metwally shared his tip in a TikTok video, captioned: “Ever wanted to get out of a speeding penalty? Here’s how!’.

“Here’s what I got recently,” he said, showing a picture of his speeding penalty.

“And here is the result – your injury notice has been withdrawn in favor of this official warning.”

“You want to know how I did that?” he asked.

He then gives a step-by-step breakdown and urges viewers to go to Fines Victoria’s official website and click on the ‘Request a Review’ page.

Request-a-Review service allows drivers to appeal their speeding penalty under certain points (stock image)

“Enter your message, scroll down to official warnings, click [on the hyperlink] and when the speed is less than 10 km/h, you can argue the following points: eexceptional circumstances, extenuating circumstances or good driving practice.”

“In my case, I’ve had good rides because, you know, I’m an angel,” he jokes.

Mr Metwally breaks down the lifehack further by instructing viewers to click two boxes under a subheading that reads “Learn More” and then request a review.

He then shares a copy of the message he wrote as part of his request.

“Here is what I wrote. And that got me out of a $250 speeding fine,” he says.

Fines Victoria describes the option on its website as an opportunity to “have your fine checked by the authority that issued your fine… if you believe you have been wrongly fined or have a good reason that.” Your fine should be withdrawn”. .

“After you complete and submit your form, your fine will be suspended and no further charges will be added.”

Drivers who want to use this hack to avoid paying their fine should keep in mind that they can only request one internal review per violation report.