An irritated driver has filed a complaint about Victoria’s AI-assisted mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras after being fined $661 for sticking up his middle fingers at one of the devices.
The man shared road safety camera images taken on the Bass Highway at Kilcunda last month, and a copy of a letter he sent to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety asking for an apology, the withdrawal of the fine, and a review of the AI enforcement process.
“I am lodging this public accountability complaint to raise serious concerns about the accuracy, oversight, and accountability of Victoria’s AI-assisted traffic enforcement system after receiving a false infringement notice alleging I was using a mobile phone while driving on 1 October 2025,” he wrote.
“The fine, totalling $661, was issued by Fines Victoria based on an AI-generated image that, upon inspection, shows no mobile phone present in my hands. In fact, both hands are clearly visible positioned above the steering wheel.
“Despite this, the automated system proceeded to issue a serious infringement notice – one that carries financial and reputational consequences for an innocent driver.”
The driver went on to say the fine had caused him “significant emotional distress and unnecessary administrative burden” due to having to fight the matter in court, and asked the minister to make sure that all infringements were verified by humans.
According to the Victorian government, two cameras on each trailer take high-resolution images that are automatically reviewed by AI software that will reject images where no potential offence is detected.
“If the AI detects a driver who may be using a portable device or not wearing their seatbelt it flags the image for further review,” the government states.
“Images where there might be a potential offence are then checked and verified by qualified independent officers.”
Social media users on the page where the driver shared the images speculated that he may have been fined for a large black object on his lap that could be a mobile phone, but the driver insisted that it was not.
Some also said the fine could have been for the driver not having his hands on the wheel, but the cameras are only set up to detect seatbelt and mobile phone offences.
Others expressed concern about a “surveillance state” and invasions of privacy.
The Victoria said the cameras detected 19,063 offences between January 1 and March 31 this year, and are predicted to “prevent 95 casualty crashes per year”.
Header image: Left, right, the photos of the fined driver (Facebook).
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