From Monday, June 1st, new fixed safety cameras on the Mitchell Freeway will start issuing caution notices for drivers caught not wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone behind the wheel. The cameras, installed at Vincent Street and Karrinyup Road, also detect speeding, and unlike the other two offences, speeding will be enforced from day one.
The Karrinyup Road cameras join the previously announced Vincent Street location and bring the Mitchell Freeway in line with the two existing fixed cameras already operating on the Kwinana Freeway. Eight mobile safety camera trailers are also working across the state.
A six-month grace period, but not for speeding
The Cook Government has taken what it calls an education-before-enforcement approach with the new cameras. For the first six months, drivers caught on camera without a seatbelt or using a phone will receive a caution notice rather than an infringement. That period ends on November 30th, with full enforcement starting in time for the Christmas period and summer holidays.
Speeding gets no such reprieve. Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby pointed out that radar camera technology has been enforcing speed limits on WA roads for nearly 40 years, so there’s no argument for a fresh learning curve.
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“The Cook Labor Government is committed to investing in proven technology and effective initiatives to change driver behaviour and improve road safety on WA roads,” Minister Whitby said.
“The new fixed safety cameras on the Mitchell Freeway send a powerful message to the community that bad behaviour behind the wheel will not be tolerated and they will be caught.”
The numbers behind the rollout
The state’s existing fixed camera network has produced some sharp results since cameras were first introduced in February 2025. Detected seatbelt offences have dropped by more than 85%, mobile phone offences by 88%, and speeding offences by 51%.
The behavioural shift has also been reflected in fatality data. Between 2014 and 2024, an average of 23% of motor vehicle occupant deaths in WA were directly linked to people not wearing a seatbelt. In 2025, the first full year with the cameras running, alongside dedicated education and enforcement, that figure dropped to 13.8%.
Money collected from safety camera infringements goes into the Road Trauma Trust Account, which funds further road safety initiatives.
Double demerits this long weekend
Drivers should also note that double demerits are in effect from 12:01 am Friday, May 29th, through to midnight Monday, June 1st.
