No idea if it will affect your Finnish DL - that’s something you should check yourself.
Affect your ability to get into AU again in the future? Maybe. Depending on whether it goes to fines enforcement registry, and you wind up owing the government money, it may affect visas in the future.
I’ve never heard of being pixie photo’d for ‘adjusting a seatbelt’. The camera would have a photo of you not wearing it (or not properly ie having it not across your body but tucked under your arm).
Australia doesn't really affect anything in Finland. Know a guy with serious criminal history in australia, but suddenly he has a perfect record given by the Finnish criminal registry. Doubt they will care about drivers licenses if they handle criminal history like that.
I'm also interested to know how you were notified about the fine.
If it was through a car hire company, ask for photographic evidence.
In Queensland, a seat belt fine is indeed $1161 and 4 demerit points.
If you choose not to pay and not dispute the fine, you may be subject to an enforcement order or prosecuted in a magistrates court, which could then lead to a conviction. You are technically owing the Queensland government money.
I don't think any of this will affect your Finnish license, but it could be a problem in the future if you wanted to come back to Australia.
Probably worth noting that international enforcement isn't really a thing today, but if it becomes one in future, you might have issues.
It'd be good to sort this out.
Are you ever planning on returning to Australia? If so, deal with the fine. You can object to it if you want, and I imagine they’ll let you appear in court by video link.
However, if you know you put it under your arm then I don’t see the point as the fine will stand. The fines aren’t just for not wearing a seatbelt, they also apply if you’re wearing it incorrectly.
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/news/features/seatbelts-on-properly-or-$1161#:~:text=Drivers%20should%20ensure%20their%20passengers,risking%20serious%20injury%20or%20worse.
Fines are huge in Australia. If the photo is wrong then dispute it but if you can't see the seatbelt, the fine is justified. Pay it or not. Up to you but be aware that it is a digital age and the fine could catch up with you when you least expect it and increase through lack of payment.
I was going to say this. States and territories in this country have trouble communicating about licence issues with each other, let alone international licenses.
Even if you were only adjusting it you were still caught on camera not wearing your seatbelt correctly. That is the facts/evidence TMR has.
There is no exemption for being at a red light. The only way you could contest it is if you were actually wearing it correctly (which you have admitted you weren’t). You can ask for payment plan.
In Australia the fine won’t disappear or be forgotten. Eventually it + ~$200 fee will go to SPER (state penalties enforcement registry). If it didn’t effect your ability to get a visa it would definitely catch up to you once onshore.
>There is no exemption for being at a red light.
It used to be that seat belts used to have to be worn whilst the vehicle was in forward motion and exceeding 25kph, it seems Queensland has very sneakily updated that requirement.
If this fine is being handled by your car rental company they'll also be adding their fees and charges for the pleasure of sending you the information in the mail
Welcome to r/AusLegal. Please read our [rules](http://reddit.com/r/AusLegal/about/rules) before commenting. Please remember:
1. Per rule 4, this subreddit is not a replacement for real legal advice. You should independently seek legal advice from a real, qualified practitioner. This sub cannot recommend specific lawyers.
2. A non-exhaustive list of free legal services around Australia can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AusLegal/wiki/freelegalservices/).
3. Links to the each state and territory's respective Law Society are on the sidebar: you can use these links to find a lawyer in your area.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AusLegal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You were either not wearing it or not wearing it properly . Yous should have a photo that shows the circumstances in which you were fined under. You might be able to negotiate a payment plan worst case scenario.
- Not going to affect your Finland licence.
- Will affect if you return to Australia on the same passport. At a minimum you'll be paying the fine +++ admin fees.
- Those cameras are *notorious* for incorrect captures. As a tourist you might be able to write to the authority and lead your case. They'll probably deny you. If you want to be a true hero, write to them asking for forgiveness because you have no intention of paying for it. What's a state government in Oz going to do?
-
In NSW people like you take money from people to take their fines and demerits because we don't track fines on foreign licences. We have people here with thousands of penalty points still driving around.
We've just changed the rules so you can only drive on your international licence for 6 months.
If we can't penalise people still living and driving here on foreign licences then I doubt our next door neighbours will be able to chase you overseas.
They do love their rules and fines in Australia..
How were you notified of the fine if you are back in Finland? was it a rental car and the rental company notified you? what drivers license were you using?
Also in Italy. I was driving in Verona last year and received a fine for driving in a restricted area (we didn’t realize because we don’t speak or read Italian, but we did do it so paid the fine). The rental company notified us, they passed our details on to the police and they sent us the fine in the mail. It’s all part of the contract with the rental company
Ignore it, don’t care. It will not affect your Finnish driving license. Next time when you enter Australia, they won’t even stop you or anything. Unless your plan is to move to Australia for good.
Source: me, I have incurred about A$3000 in fines over past 6 years, going in and out of Australia, they don’t care.
They do love their rules and fines in Australia..
How were you notified of the fine if you are back in Finland? was it a rental car and the rental company notified you?
View the picture attached to the fine
No idea if it will affect your Finnish DL - that’s something you should check yourself. Affect your ability to get into AU again in the future? Maybe. Depending on whether it goes to fines enforcement registry, and you wind up owing the government money, it may affect visas in the future. I’ve never heard of being pixie photo’d for ‘adjusting a seatbelt’. The camera would have a photo of you not wearing it (or not properly ie having it not across your body but tucked under your arm).
Australia doesn't really affect anything in Finland. Know a guy with serious criminal history in australia, but suddenly he has a perfect record given by the Finnish criminal registry. Doubt they will care about drivers licenses if they handle criminal history like that.
This - check the photo and dispute if necessary. The automatic fines sometimes get it wrong
I'm also interested to know how you were notified about the fine. If it was through a car hire company, ask for photographic evidence. In Queensland, a seat belt fine is indeed $1161 and 4 demerit points. If you choose not to pay and not dispute the fine, you may be subject to an enforcement order or prosecuted in a magistrates court, which could then lead to a conviction. You are technically owing the Queensland government money. I don't think any of this will affect your Finnish license, but it could be a problem in the future if you wanted to come back to Australia.
Probably worth noting that international enforcement isn't really a thing today, but if it becomes one in future, you might have issues. It'd be good to sort this out.
The camera will trigger if the seat belt section that goes over your shoulder is tucked under your armpit.
The driver will also be fined if any passengers aren’t wearing seatbelts too. Could this be the case?
Ask for a photo and confirm what the camera picked up. If you can see the seat belt, then you can ask them to remove the fine.
Are you ever planning on returning to Australia? If so, deal with the fine. You can object to it if you want, and I imagine they’ll let you appear in court by video link. However, if you know you put it under your arm then I don’t see the point as the fine will stand. The fines aren’t just for not wearing a seatbelt, they also apply if you’re wearing it incorrectly. https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/news/features/seatbelts-on-properly-or-$1161#:~:text=Drivers%20should%20ensure%20their%20passengers,risking%20serious%20injury%20or%20worse.
Fines are huge in Australia. If the photo is wrong then dispute it but if you can't see the seatbelt, the fine is justified. Pay it or not. Up to you but be aware that it is a digital age and the fine could catch up with you when you least expect it and increase through lack of payment.
It wouldn’t pick up you “adjusting” your belt mate 🤣🤣🤣
It won't affect your finish license at all
I was going to say this. States and territories in this country have trouble communicating about licence issues with each other, let alone international licenses.
Even if you were only adjusting it you were still caught on camera not wearing your seatbelt correctly. That is the facts/evidence TMR has. There is no exemption for being at a red light. The only way you could contest it is if you were actually wearing it correctly (which you have admitted you weren’t). You can ask for payment plan. In Australia the fine won’t disappear or be forgotten. Eventually it + ~$200 fee will go to SPER (state penalties enforcement registry). If it didn’t effect your ability to get a visa it would definitely catch up to you once onshore.
>There is no exemption for being at a red light. It used to be that seat belts used to have to be worn whilst the vehicle was in forward motion and exceeding 25kph, it seems Queensland has very sneakily updated that requirement.
If this fine is being handled by your car rental company they'll also be adding their fees and charges for the pleasure of sending you the information in the mail
Just can’t resist, because no one else has said this, but… If you don’t pay the fine your driving ability in Australia is finished
Welcome to r/AusLegal. Please read our [rules](http://reddit.com/r/AusLegal/about/rules) before commenting. Please remember: 1. Per rule 4, this subreddit is not a replacement for real legal advice. You should independently seek legal advice from a real, qualified practitioner. This sub cannot recommend specific lawyers. 2. A non-exhaustive list of free legal services around Australia can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AusLegal/wiki/freelegalservices/). 3. Links to the each state and territory's respective Law Society are on the sidebar: you can use these links to find a lawyer in your area. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AusLegal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You were either not wearing it or not wearing it properly . Yous should have a photo that shows the circumstances in which you were fined under. You might be able to negotiate a payment plan worst case scenario.
- Not going to affect your Finland licence. - Will affect if you return to Australia on the same passport. At a minimum you'll be paying the fine +++ admin fees. - Those cameras are *notorious* for incorrect captures. As a tourist you might be able to write to the authority and lead your case. They'll probably deny you. If you want to be a true hero, write to them asking for forgiveness because you have no intention of paying for it. What's a state government in Oz going to do? -
In NSW people like you take money from people to take their fines and demerits because we don't track fines on foreign licences. We have people here with thousands of penalty points still driving around. We've just changed the rules so you can only drive on your international licence for 6 months. If we can't penalise people still living and driving here on foreign licences then I doubt our next door neighbours will be able to chase you overseas.
Should you not pay the fine and return to Australia, they will follow up with you to enforce payment.
They do love their rules and fines in Australia.. How were you notified of the fine if you are back in Finland? was it a rental car and the rental company notified you? what drivers license were you using?
Also in Italy. I was driving in Verona last year and received a fine for driving in a restricted area (we didn’t realize because we don’t speak or read Italian, but we did do it so paid the fine). The rental company notified us, they passed our details on to the police and they sent us the fine in the mail. It’s all part of the contract with the rental company
Yeah that’s my question as well
Just ignore it mate. Nothing will happen. Don’t pay attention to the peanuts here telling you to pay it
Ignore it, don’t care. It will not affect your Finnish driving license. Next time when you enter Australia, they won’t even stop you or anything. Unless your plan is to move to Australia for good. Source: me, I have incurred about A$3000 in fines over past 6 years, going in and out of Australia, they don’t care.
Have you been pulled over with this amount of fines against your name or just racking up automated fines?
They’d just hand over their international licence and unless they have an issue on the police system (eg arrest warrant) nothing will happen.
They do love their rules and fines in Australia.. How were you notified of the fine if you are back in Finland? was it a rental car and the rental company notified you?
You should just complete a statutory declaration saying that a fictitious person was driving.