Queensland Mobile Phone and Seatbelt Cameras: $1,295 and 4 Demerit Points, Operating Anywhere, Anytime, Including on the Gold Coast (QLD)

In Queensland, holding a mobile phone in your hand or resting it on any part of your body while you drive is illegal, and the penalty is $1,295 and 4 demerit points. A driver who does not wear a seatbelt properly faces the same $1,295 and 4 points, and cameras now check for both offences anywhere on Queensland roads, at any time.

This guide uses the Queensland Government’s pages on mobile phones, seatbelts, camera enforcement, demerit points and disputing a fine, as checked on 19 October 2026. The mobile phone page notes that fines and penalties rose by 3.5% on 1 July 2026. It is a general summary, not legal advice.

What counts as illegal phone use while driving?

The Queensland Government’s mobile phone page says it is illegal to hold a mobile phone in your hand or have it resting on any part of your body, such as your lap, while driving. That applies even if you are stopped in traffic. The phone does not need to be turned on or in use for it to be an offence. The page lists holding it in your hand and resting it on your lap or shoulder as illegal use, and says you will be fined even if you are not operating the phone, or it is turned off.

When can I use my phone?

The page lists these situations when it is allowed. You can hold a phone when safely stopped to:

• pay for goods and services, for example at a drive through
• gain access to or from a road-related area, such as a car park
• present a digital driver licence or other document to police when asked
• get a card or money out of a phone wallet for the purposes above

You can also use your phone when safely parked, which means stopped with the intention of staying at that place. Open and P2 licence holders may touch their phone for hands-free use if it is in a cradle attached to the vehicle. Hands-free use can include accepting a call, using navigation apps, skipping a song and accepting or ending a trip as a rideshare driver. The phone must not obscure the driver’s view of the road. Open and P2 licence holders may also use a phone hands-free from a pocket or a pouch they are wearing, but they must not touch or look at it and can only operate it by voice. Whatever you do, the driver must always maintain proper control of the vehicle and drive with due care and attention.

What are the extra rules for learners and P1 drivers?

Learner and P1 drivers under 25 must not use hands-free, wireless headsets or the phone’s loudspeaker function. If the phone is in a pocket or a pouch, they must not use it in any way, including touching it, looking at it or operating it by voice. Passengers of learner and P1 drivers are also banned from using a phone’s loudspeaker function. The same restrictions that apply to your car licence type and age apply when you ride a motorcycle, and interstate and overseas licence holders must follow Queensland’s rules for their equivalent licence type, as well as any conditions from the place that issued their licence. Our guide to driving in Queensland on an overseas licence covers the licence rules for visitors.

How do you wear a seatbelt correctly?

The Government’s seatbelt rules page says a seatbelt must be worn with the belt over your shoulder, running firmly across your chest, and the lap part running firmly across your pelvic area and buckled low on your hip. Wearing a seatbelt any other way will result in a fine. If you recline your seat, the seatbelt must still be across your shoulder and chest, and you and the driver may be fined if it is not properly fastened or adjusted because the seat is reclined too far. Everyone 7 years or older must wear a correctly fitted seatbelt, and children up to 7 years must be in a properly fastened and adjusted Australian Standard approved child restraint.

Who is responsible for passengers?

The driver. The Government says you and all passengers must always wear a seatbelt or child restraint while the vehicle is moving or stationary, for example at traffic lights, but not when parked, and it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure every passenger is correctly restrained for the whole trip. This does not apply to buses or motorcycles. A driver may be fined for each unrestrained or incorrectly restrained passenger.

Who is exempt from wearing a seatbelt?

Exemptions apply in very limited circumstances. The page says you are exempt only if:

• you are the driver and are reversing the vehicle
• you carry a current seatbelt exemption certificate, signed by a registered Australian doctor, stating that you cannot wear a seatbelt because of a medical condition or disability
• the vehicle was originally manufactured without seatbelts and you are 7 years or older
• you need to get in and out of the vehicle frequently for door-to-door pick-up or delivery of goods and drive at no more than 25km/h

Children under 7 may not travel in any vehicle without correctly fitted seatbelts or child restraints. Some drivers are exempt from making sure passengers are restrained: bus drivers, taxi or rideshare drivers whose passenger is over 16, and taxi or rideshare drivers whose passenger is under 7 when they do not have an Australian Standard approved child restraint in the vehicle. A seatbelt exemption certificate must display an expiry date no more than 12 months after issue.

How do the cameras work?

The mobile phone and seatbelt cameras page says there are two types: fixed cameras fitted to existing infrastructure and operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and portable cameras used at random locations in urban and regional areas for shorter periods. It says camera locations are based on where road crash injuries or deaths have involved mobile phone use or not wearing a seatbelt. The cameras:

• take multiple images of every vehicle passing, including the registration plate and the front seats
• use artificial intelligence software to detect possible phone use by the driver, or a seatbelt not worn by the driver or front seat passenger
• delete images automatically if no possible offence is detected
• pass images with a suspected offence to the Queensland Revenue Office, where an authorised officer reviews the image to decide whether an offence has been committed

The Government says people are not identified from the images, because the cameras do not capture or analyse biometric data. It says two independent privacy impact assessments were carried out and published. The page does not list camera sites.

What are the fines and demerit points?

The Government’s demerit points schedule, last updated 1 July 2026, lists these penalties:

Offence	Points	Fine
Driver of a vehicle using a mobile phone (other than in a parked vehicle)	4	$1,295
Class C learner licence holder under 25 using a mobile phone when driving	4	$1,295
Class C P1 provisional licence holder under 25, or P1 probationary licence holder, using a mobile phone when driving	4	$1,295
Driver not wearing a seatbelt properly adjusted and fastened	4	$1,295
Passenger aged 16 or over not wearing a seatbelt properly adjusted and fastened	4	$1,295
Driver failing to ensure a passenger aged 16 or over wears a seatbelt properly adjusted and fastened	4	$1,295
Driver failing to ensure a passenger under 16 wears a seatbelt or restraint properly adjusted and fastened	4	$1,295

Hands-free phone use can also attract fines and demerit points for open and P2 licence holders if the driver is not in proper control of the vehicle or drives without due care and attention.

How do double demerit points work?

The Government’s double demerit points page says double points apply all year round in Queensland, not only in holiday periods. You get double points for a second or later offence committed within 12 months of an earlier offence in the same group, and it does not have to be the same offence. The groups include speeding more than 20km/h over the limit, mobile phone offences, driver seatbelt offences, a driver failing to ensure passengers under 16 are restrained and motorcycle helmet offences. A learner who fails to wear a seatbelt receives 4 points, and if they commit another seatbelt offence within a year, the page says they get 8 points in total for the second offence. It adds that a Queensland licence holder who commits an offence anywhere in Australia may have the points recorded as if it happened in Queensland.

What if I get a fine?

The Government’s dispute a fine page says you can dispute a fine in court if you believe a police officer, transport inspector or traffic camera incorrectly issued it. You must dispute it within 28 days of the date on the infringement notice, or face overdue fine penalties. It says not to pay the fine if you intend to dispute it, and to keep a copy. You will not get a mailed reminder, but if you have signed up for email reminders you receive one 5 days before the due date. If you do nothing within 28 days, the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) may take enforcement action, with additional referral fees, and demerit points are added to your record from the day of the offence. To dispute, submit an Election for Court online or use form F5111 for an individual or F5112 for a company. The page also warns that scammers sometimes send fake infringement notices.

Sources

• Queensland Government — Driving and mobile phones (last updated 1 July 2026; checked 19 October 2026)
• Queensland Government — Seatbelt rules
• Queensland Government — Mobile phone and seatbelt cameras (last updated 30 September 2024)
• Queensland Government — Demerit points schedule (last updated 1 July 2026)
• Queensland Government — Double demerit points
• Queensland Government — Dispute a fine in court

Featured image: the Pacific Motorway southbound at the exit to the Smith Street Motorway, photographed in 2018 (photo: Coolcaesar / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Queensland Government, the Department of Transport and Main Roads or the Queensland Revenue Office. This is a general summary, not legal advice. Rules, fines and deadlines can change; check the official pages above.