Drivers using mobile phones could be fined without even knowing they’ve been caught
Drivers using mobile phones could be fined without even
knowing they’ve been caught
NEW hi-tech cameras that detect drivers using their
mobile phones without them even knowing and automatically issues fines could
soon change everything.
APRIL 12, 2018 4:49PM
Berejiklian calls for crackdown on phone use while
driving
DISTRACTION is one of the leading causes of fatal road
crashes in Australia but new hi-tech cameras that detect drivers using their
mobile phones without them even knowing could soon change everything.
A New South Wales Police spokesman told news.com.au that
officers currently “use a variety of methods to detect drivers using their
phones while driving”.
“Line-of-site, by trained officers is the primary method
of detection, however, long-ranged cameras have been used with success, and
helmet cameras in motorcycle police continue to be used,” the spokesman said.
But that technology could soon be replaced by stationary
cameras that automatically issue an infringement notice without the driver even
realising they’ve been sprung.
NSW Police Highway Patrol boss, Assistant Commissioner
Mick Corboy, told the Nine News there were “emerging technologies coming out”.
“So the way we are going to defeat this is by video
evidence, by photographic evidence and we are looking at everything possible
around the world at the moment and we think we’ll get something in place fairly
quickly,” Mr Corboy said.
His comments came after NSW Minister for Roads Melinda
Pavey put out a call on Tuesday for potential providers to present “practical,
technology-based solutions to address the problem” of mobile phone use in cars.
“Developing this technology would be a world-first and is
one of the priorities of our Road Safety Plan 2021 that we announced,” Mrs
Pavey said.
As part of the Road Safety Plan 2021, the NSW Government
outlined its plans to implement legislative changes to allow camera technology
to enforce mobile phone use offences.
Mrs Pavey said the Road Transport Legislation Amendment
(Road Safety) Bill 2018 was introduced into the NSW Legislative Assembly on
March 6, 2018. NSW is the first jurisdiction to introduce such legislation in
Australia.
Last year, NSW Police handed out about 42,000 fines to
drivers caught on their mobile phones, with the distraction increasingly
emerging as a factor in fatal crashes over the past decade.
In February this year, serial texter Jakob Thornton, was
allegedly engrossed in his phone when he ploughed into a roadside breath test
in southwest Sydney, seriously injuring two officers.
Senior Constable Jonathon Wright had his foot and part of
his lower leg amputated and Senior Constable Matthew Foley suffered a broken
leg.
Alex McCredie demonstrates how the hi-tech cameras that
can detect drivers using mobile phones work. Picture: Mark Stewart.Source:News
Corp Australia
According to National Road Safety Partnership Program
(NRSPP) Manager Jerome Carslake, the most common causes of road fatalities and
car accidents occasioning serious harm are fatigue, speed, distraction
(including mobile phones), and alcohol or drugs.
During the 12 months ending in February 2018, there were
1249 road deaths across Australia. That was a 0.2 per cent decrease compared to
the total for the 12-month period ending February 2017.
In 2016, 1300 lives were lost on roads nationwide, which
was an increase of nearly 8 per cent on the previous year (1205).
Mr Corboy said in a statement earlier this month that too
many people made “poor decisions” while driving. “Every fatal crash is a
tragedy for not only those involved, but for the families they leave behind,”
he said.
“The most frustrating part about it is that most crashes
are preventable if people slow down and take responsibility on our roads.”
In NSW, motorists caught using a mobile phone while
driving can be slapped with a $330 fine and a loss of four demerit points,
regardless of whether they’re repeat offenders or not.
The Australian Capital Territory has some of the toughest
laws in the country, with a fine of $528 and loss of four demerit points for a
driver caught texting or using social media behind the wheel.
Like the ACT, Western Australia also has a separate
specific offence for motorists caught texting while driving. “WA Police Force
is constantly looking for new ways to target offences frequently linked to
serious and fatal crashes on our roads, including inattention through mobile
phone use,” a WA Police spokesman told news.com.au.
“The penalty for using a mobile phone while driving is
$400 and three demerit points.”
In Queensland, motorists can be fined $378 and have three
demerit points recorded against their traffic history if they are caught
holding a mobile phone for any reason while driving — that includes when
they’re stopped at traffic lights or in congested traffic.
Learner and P1 drivers are prohibited from using hands
free, wireless headsets or a mobile phone’s loudspeaker function. “At this time
the QPS does not have technology to detect drivers using mobile phones,” a QLD
Police spokesman told news.com.au.
Double demerit points apply for second or subsequent
mobile phone offences committed within one year after an earlier offence.
HI-TECH CAMERAS TRIALLED
A red-light style camera capable of photographing drivers
illegally using their mobile phones was trialled in Melbourne, Victoria last
year. The technology — touted as a world first — detected 272 culprits during a
five-hour test across just one lane of the Eastern Freeway, the Herald Sun
reported.
The trial revealed that 7.1 per cent of the drivers
observed infringed phone use laws. And 65.8 per cent of those offences related
to motorists actively using their phone by holding it or touching it in a
cradle. Authorities said in December last year that they were always looking at
ways to improve road safety but had no current plans to introduce the
technology.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
A South Australia Police spokesman told news.com.au the
state “doesn’t have any technologies to assist in the detection of driving
while using mobile phones”.
As of November 11, 2017, the fine for using a mobile
phone while driving was $327 plus a $60 government levy — totalling $387
coupled with three demerit points. Drivers are permitted to touch their phones
only if they are making or receiving a call on a device mounted to the vehicle.
“To avoid doubt, nothing ... authorises a person to use a
mobile phone by pressing a key on the phone, or by otherwise manipulating the
body or screen of the phone, if the phone is not secured in a mounting affixed
to the vehicle,” the legislation reads.
The SA Police spokesman said it was “not unlawful to pull
over to the side of the road to a place where it is legal to stop and make or
receive a telephone call”.
“There is no requirement to turn off the engine,” he said.
“Although the rule that relates to mobile telephones does not say that the
vehicle must be in an area where it is legal to park, other Australian Road
Rules apply.
“To put that into context, it is not legal to park at a
set of traffic lights, therefore it is unlawful to use a hand held phone while
stationary at those lights.”
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