From 1 July 2018, The Australian state of NSW will become first place in the world to deploy sophisticated camera technology to catch drivers using their mobile devices illegally behind the wheel.
The Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Road Safety) Act 2018 No 15 has provided the power for speed camera style technology to detect illegal mobile phone use from 1 July 2018.
Drivers who are caught using a mobile phone while driving will receive a fine of $330 and will lose 4 demerit points. And as you can see his comment is here, If drivers are caught using a mobile phone when driving in a school zone, the fine increases to $439.
All mobile phone offences are also subject to double demerits penalties.
NSW is the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce this legislation. Once the camera detects that a person has been found to be using a phone whilst driving, the footage will be reviewed manually prior to an infringement notice being issued.
The revenue raised from the camera detection technology will paid into the Community Road Safety Fund, which allows community organisations to develop road safety projects in their local areas. Such projects include:
- Driver mentoring assistance for disadvantaged youth;
- Awareness campaign targeting driveway safety;
- Road safety workshops targeting culturally and linguistically diverse communities; and
- Road safety seminar series and newly arrived migrants.
It has been reported that during an initial test on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, the new system detected 750 drivers in six hours. This is contrasted with NSW Police having issued less than 100 infringements per week using the current methods.
In justifying the new technology NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey, reported that from 2012 to 2017 there were 184 crashes involving illegal mobile phone use and those crashes resulted in seven deaths and 105 injuries.