Over 525 tickets have been sent to motorists in the wrong Australian state because of a database error. Beginning last year, the Australian Capital Territory's red light and speed camera system confused that state's white license plates beginning with the "Y" prefix with yellow New South Wales plates, resulting in hundreds of citations being issued to motorists who were not speeding.

The ACT government has declined to verify the citations already issued and puts the burden on motorists to discover the errors. Although motorists who have come forward and contested these improper tickets have had their fines dismissed, it is unclear how many simply paid their tickets without checking the citation or wanting to put up with the hassle of a legal challenge.

Opposition urban services spokesman Steve Pratt said more people could still come forward after paying invalid fines. "There are some people who may have paid these fines without viewing the photograph and any further question, so one has to question if the figure of 520 invalid infringements could actually be more," Mr Pratt said.