State transport official apologises to thousands of wrongly penalised motorists: ‘This should never have happened’
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Are you one of the hundreds of drivers in Australia who were recently punished for not wearing a seatbelt or wearing it improperly?
If so, you might be relieved to know you might have been punished too harshly.
It was recently discovered that over 1,800 motorists in Queensland were wrongly slapped with double demerit points for seatbelt-related offences.
This mistake resulted in over 600 drivers having their licences wrongly suspended and 860 being convicted incorrectly of an offence.
It all comes down to a design fault in the mobile phone and seatbelt camera system that was used to capture the offending behaviour between the months of November 1, 2021, and August 31 of this year.
As a result, the state’s transport minister, Mark Bailey, issued an apology to drivers upon the discovery of the mistake.
'Simply put—this should never have happened,' he said. 'I am sorry to every person impacted by this.'
‘My department is receiving urgent legal advice on the swift re-issuance of incorrectly suspended licences.
‘For the remaining licence holders who have retained their licence but incorrectly lost some points, Transport and Main Roads will reverse the incorrectly issued double demerit points.
‘All offences were correctly recorded and financial penalties have been correctly issued—the design fault is solely in the application of double demerit points in specific circumstances.’
He added that he ‘expects the review to be complete in the coming months’.
Although the review is already in motion, please be aware that your licence is still suspended (if you were penalised) until you've heard back from Transport staff.
On that note, authorities are also reaching out to concerned individuals.
Acting Director General of Transport and Main Roads Sally Stannard stated, ‘The Department has corrected this error and is now contacting impacted customers.’
‘The current status of your licence remains in place until the Department works with you to review individual circumstances.
‘We have also established a dedicated phone number for customers who are concerned this may impact them and details are available on the Department’s website.
‘Drivers are reminded that they must ensure their passengers are buckled up before starting their journey or risk serious injury or worse.’
Affected drivers can reach them at 1800-740-786. Click here for more details.
So as always, safety first! Make sure to buckle up before setting off on your journey—it might just save you a hefty fine.
How do you feel about this traffic issue? What measures do you believe the transportation authority should take to avoid this from happening again? We want to hear from you in the comments below!
If so, you might be relieved to know you might have been punished too harshly.
It was recently discovered that over 1,800 motorists in Queensland were wrongly slapped with double demerit points for seatbelt-related offences.
This mistake resulted in over 600 drivers having their licences wrongly suspended and 860 being convicted incorrectly of an offence.
More than 1,000 motorists in Queensland were wrongly fined for seatbelt-related offences. Credit: Shutterstock
It all comes down to a design fault in the mobile phone and seatbelt camera system that was used to capture the offending behaviour between the months of November 1, 2021, and August 31 of this year.
As a result, the state’s transport minister, Mark Bailey, issued an apology to drivers upon the discovery of the mistake.
'Simply put—this should never have happened,' he said. 'I am sorry to every person impacted by this.'
‘My department is receiving urgent legal advice on the swift re-issuance of incorrectly suspended licences.
‘For the remaining licence holders who have retained their licence but incorrectly lost some points, Transport and Main Roads will reverse the incorrectly issued double demerit points.
Transport and Main Roads are working to reverse the incorrect penalties issued to drivers. Credit: Shutterstock
‘All offences were correctly recorded and financial penalties have been correctly issued—the design fault is solely in the application of double demerit points in specific circumstances.’
He added that he ‘expects the review to be complete in the coming months’.
Although the review is already in motion, please be aware that your licence is still suspended (if you were penalised) until you've heard back from Transport staff.
On that note, authorities are also reaching out to concerned individuals.
Acting Director General of Transport and Main Roads Sally Stannard stated, ‘The Department has corrected this error and is now contacting impacted customers.’
‘The current status of your licence remains in place until the Department works with you to review individual circumstances.
‘We have also established a dedicated phone number for customers who are concerned this may impact them and details are available on the Department’s website.
‘Drivers are reminded that they must ensure their passengers are buckled up before starting their journey or risk serious injury or worse.’
Affected drivers can reach them at 1800-740-786. Click here for more details.
So as always, safety first! Make sure to buckle up before setting off on your journey—it might just save you a hefty fine.
How do you feel about this traffic issue? What measures do you believe the transportation authority should take to avoid this from happening again? We want to hear from you in the comments below!
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