Two new safety camera trailers are now based in Bunbury full-time, joining WA’s existing fleet of eight operating across the Perth metropolitan area, the Mid West, and the Great Southern. They detect seatbelt, mobile phone, and speeding offences, and they can be deployed to any location in the South West at any time.
Great Southern cameras recorded an 82% reduction in the overall rate of offending between June 2025 and July 2026, including an 85% drop in mobile phone offences and 83% for speeding. Mid West cameras recorded a 72% reduction between July 2025 and July 2026. Across the State, seatbelt-related fatalities fell from a ten-year average of 23% of road deaths to 13.8% in the year after the cameras arrived, alongside education and awareness campaigns.
“Over the past five years, 32 people died in road crashes on average in the South West region,” said Road Safety Minister Jessica Stojkovski.
“Every seatbelt not worn or worn incorrectly, every mobile phone used behind the wheel and every kilometre over the speed limit creates an unnecessary risk and puts lives in danger.
“A little risk-taking is never okay — receiving a fine pales in comparison to the devastating impact on a community when a life is lost.”
The trailers were funded through the $80 million Road Safety Reform Package announced in December 2025, which draws on the Road Trauma Trust Account. All safety camera fine revenue goes into that account, which is legislatively required to be spent on reducing deaths and injuries on WA roads.
“I get frequent requests from constituents to advocate for improved road safety outcomes,” said Bunbury MLA Don Punch. “This investment will help support safer roads for the South West and I am delighted to be part of a Cook Labor Government delivering for the local community.”
Fines, appeals, and a review
Between October 8th, 2025, when enforcement started, and May 4th this year, 192,229 infringements were issued across WA, and 6,114 of those were later withdrawn for 3,413 drivers, according to figures from the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure. Around 60% of drivers who challenged an infringement had it withdrawn.
More than half of the review requests have related to seatbelts. Drivers carry legal responsibility for passengers, so they have been fined for children and adult passengers who removed or incorrectly adjusted a belt mid-trip. Parliament was told in March that the department had actioned 2,194 requests to review seatbelt infringements, and that 934 appeals relating to passengers had succeeded. The Road Safety Commission is reviewing the legislation, processes, and systems behind driving offences, including whether a passenger seatbelt infringement should be issued to the passenger rather than the driver.
Western Australians are forecast to pay an extra $440 million in traffic fines over the next four years, largely because of the cameras.
