{"id":91695,"date":"2026-09-09T06:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T06:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/91695\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T06:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T06:34:08","slug":"a6500-aussies-caught-in-ai-traffic-blunder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/91695\/","title":{"rendered":"A6500 Aussies caught in AI traffic blunder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia\u2019s huge and controversial shift to AI traffic camera is again under a cloud after another legal issue was discovered in the rollout of the devices.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s capital is facing a major traffic camera blunder after it was discovered the ACT Government failed to update a legal document to allow AI cameras to detect drivers not wearing seatbelts.<\/p>\n

The cameras, operated by Access Canberra, have been used since November 2025 to detect a range of traffic offences, including mobile phone use and seatbelt violations.<\/p>\n

But a legal document authorising their use was never updated to specifically include seatbelt offences, putting about 13,000 fines issued to Canberra drivers in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

MORE: Next car giant slashes jobs amid $3bn fail<\/a><\/p>\n

Access Canberra head Josh Rynehart told ABC Radio Canberra the oversight was discovered internally about two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cameras are authorised for the use as a traffic offence control device,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just that the disallowable instrument didn\u2019t include the word \u2018seatbelt\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Weird<\/p>\n

Failing to wear a seatbelt in Canberra carries a $641 fine and three demerit points. About 6500 motorists have already paid their fines or resolved their cases with Access Canberra.<\/p>\n

Rynehart said those infringements were considered settled, meaning drivers who have already paid won\u2019t get their demerit points restored. <\/p>\n

However almost $4.2m in fines could be the subject of a refund.<\/p>\n

Access Canberra said it halted the issuing of seatbelt fines as soon as the problem was identified.<\/p>\n

The cameras have since resumed issuing fines after the legal issue was fixed, while the ACT Legislative Assembly will consider retrospective legislation aimed at correcting the oversight and ensuring the affected penalties remain valid.<\/p>\n

The blunder has once again put AI-powered traffic cameras under the spotlight, with similar systems facing scrutiny in other parts of Australia.<\/p>\n

Western Australia has faced complaints since its AI-driven cameras were introduced last year, with almost 6000 of about 81,000 fines overturned following reviews.<\/p>\n

In NSW, more than $100 million was collected from drivers through AI-assisted traffic enforcement cameras in 2024-25, with about 130,000 fines issued for mobile phone offences and more than 126,000 for seatbelt offences.<\/p>\n

A powerful roadside \u201csmart camera\u201d capable of detecting offences including mobile phone use and seatbelt violations has also been deployed on roads in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

MORE: \u2018Flattered\u2019: China\u2019s dig over Porsche name war<\/a><\/p>\n

The huge surge in AI traffic detection cameras has caused a growing public concern about the accuracy of the technology.<\/p>\n

In a news.com.au poll published earlier this year, 89 per cent of 3,783 respondents said AI roadside cameras had gone too far, while just 11 per cent supported keeping them.<\/p>\n

Astor Legal principal criminal lawyer Avinash Singh has warned that AI cameras can be unreliable, particularly when detecting alleged mobile phone use.<\/p>\n

He said his firm had seen a growing number of drivers challenging AI-detected fines, with objects including wallets, glasses cases and battery packs allegedly mistaken for mobile phones.<\/p>\n

MORE: \u2018Job apocalypse\u2019: Aus cabbies face extinction<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAI cameras are notoriously unreliable at detecting mobile phone use in particular. This is because the technology often mistakes other objects for mobile phone cameras,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While transport authorities maintain that images are checked by humans before fines are issued, Mr Singh said drivers have the right to challenge penalties they believe are incorrect.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo challenge an AI-based detection, the fine first needs to be elected to court without being paid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s huge and controversial shift to AI traffic camera is again under a cloud after another legal issue…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37413,68628,159808,159795,159804,5859,59881,67796,41370,159742,159786,159806,35390,159797,59591,45192,159738,159788,159768,159767,39612,159792,49172,159743,159757,157943,107652,67655,159784,159764,159799,75870,159772,96068,159783,159803,159787,159781,159765,159793,159774,159779,159789,96730,159794,43168,159753,22,159796,23,159780,30719,21,35614,28761,2184,159777,36917,2285,22219,1109,23902,171,37840,128451,11871,159762,159746,92045,96001,159769,159745,159749,15705,82569,38447,159755,44590,159740,159801,159741,159761,159739,159791,54967,159778,24032,134076,27352,159798,45831,69487,159782,159744,159751,553,4993,42266,15849,159775,159785,159802,159763,159748,159807,159770,159754,144622,116246,159790,159800,63409,60819,159776,119110,71420,159805,159747,43826,41551,63671,51506,159758,42261,45053,159760,39522,46828,159771,159756,159773,147836,159750,159766,111977,50396,10922,159759,159752],"class_list":["post-91695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-images","tag-s-capital","tag-s-dig","tag-s-huge-and-controversial-shift","tag-3bn-failaccess-canberra-head-josh-rynehart","tag-5859","tag-000-fines","tag-2024-25","tag-41370","tag-6500-aussie-drivers","tag-6500-aussies","tag-783-respondents","tag-35390","tag-a-641-fine","tag-a-cloud","tag-a-growing-number","tag-a-growing-public-concern","tag-a-legal-document","tag-a-major-traffic-camera-blunder","tag-a-news-com-au-poll","tag-a-range","tag-a-refund-access-canberra","tag-a-seatbelt","tag-a-shocking-ai-traffic-blunder","tag-a-traffic-offence-control-device","tag-abc-radio-canberra","tag-about-13","tag-about-130","tag-about-6500-motorists","tag-about-81","tag-about-two-weeks","tag-access-canberra","tag-access-canberra-rynehart","tag-ai-cameras","tag-ai-roadside-cameras","tag-ai-traffic-blunder","tag-ai-traffic-camera","tag-ai-traffic-detection-cameras","tag-ai-assisted-traffic-enforcement-cameras","tag-ai-detected-fines","tag-ai-powered-traffic-cameras","tag-alleged-mobile-phone-use-he","tag-almost-4-2m","tag-almost-6000","tag-an-ai-based-detection","tag-an-attempt","tag-another-legal-issue","tag-au","tag-aus-cabbies","tag-australia","tag-australia-western-australia","tag-australian-roads","tag-austrlia","tag-calls","tag-cameras","tag-canberra","tag-canberra-drivers","tag-cent","tag-china","tag-complaints","tag-court","tag-david-mccowen","tag-drivers","tag-earlier-this-year","tag-extinction","tag-fines","tag-glasses-cases-and-battery-packs","tag-his-firm","tag-huge-surge","tag-humans","tag-issuing","tag-its-ai-driven-cameras","tag-job-apocalypse","tag-jobs","tag-just-11","tag-last-year","tag-melbourne-more","tag-millions","tag-mobile-phone-cameras","tag-mobile-phone-offences","tag-mobile-phone-use","tag-mobile-phones-more","tag-more-than-100-million","tag-more-than-126","tag-mr-singh","tag-next-car-giant","tag-november-2025","tag-objects","tag-offences","tag-other-objects","tag-other-parts","tag-penalties","tag-porsche-name","tag-retrospective-legislation","tag-reviews-in-nsw","tag-road-safety","tag-roads","tag-scrutiny","tag-seatbelt","tag-seatbelt-fines","tag-seatbelt-offences","tag-seatbelt-offences-a-powerful-roadside-smart-camera","tag-seatbelt-violations","tag-seatbelt-violations-but","tag-seatbelts-the-cameras","tag-similar-systems","tag-strange-circles","tag-the-accuracy","tag-the-act-government","tag-the-act-legislative-assembly","tag-the-affected-penalties","tag-the-cameras","tag-the-devices","tag-the-disallowable-instrument","tag-the-fine","tag-the-issuing","tag-the-legal-issue","tag-the-oversight","tag-the-problem","tag-the-right","tag-the-rollout","tag-the-spotlight","tag-the-spotlight-more","tag-the-subject","tag-the-technology","tag-the-technology-in","tag-the-use","tag-the-word","tag-their-cases","tag-their-demerit-points","tag-their-fines","tag-their-use","tag-them-astor-legal-principal-criminal-lawyer-avinash-singh","tag-those-infringements","tag-three-demerit-points","tag-traffic-offences","tag-transport-authorities","tag-valid-the-blunder","tag-wallets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/w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