Mobile phone detection cameras: what are they and how do they work?
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Many Aussie drivers are puzzled by a new high-tech device that has been installed above major highways, but we bet it looks all too familiar to anyone who has ever been ticketed for simultaneously texting and driving before.
Across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, mobile phone detection cameras are being used to catch and prosecute drivers who are texting or talking on their phones while behind the wheel.
Drivers who break the law by using cell phones while driving are being fined heavily. Credit: NSW Government.
Compared to the typical speed and red light cameras, mobile phone detection cameras are a little different. Most of these look like white boxes, but mobile phone detection cameras are black and have a modern design that makes them stand out.
They are often positioned at a right angle, high above the ground, to provide clear views of the front seats of passing cars.
You can identify phone detection cameras by looking for a rectangular black box with black cameras (or a single camera) on either side.
How do they work, and what are the penalties?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used by mobile phone detection cameras to find illegal phone use. They can also work day and night, and in any kind of weather, even fog and heavy rain.
Using AI, the system can scan through photographs automatically, identify guilty drivers, and filter out innocent ones. Then, authorised employees will review the images.
Drivers in NSW who are caught by a mobile phone detection camera will have to pay a fine of $349 or $464 if they were caught in a school zone. They will also receive five demerit points (this will double to 10 demerit points during double demerit periods).
Credit: Transport for NSW.
The high-tech cameras have been met with a variety of reactions from Aussie motorists, including both good and unfavourable comments posted on social media platforms.
Some people were so outraged by the cameras that they called them 'revenue raisers', 'highway robbery' and 'ATM for cops', among other insults.
Some people even said the cameras weren't accurate enough and they got tickets even when they weren't using their phones.
One of them is Tracey, who was driving from Noosa to Brisbane in January when she was snapped by the camera.
After returning from an international trip, she only discovered the violation notice, along with the four demerit points. She claimed there must have been some kind of error.
'The evidence they supplied was a photo of me driving with two hands on the steering wheel and three shadows on my body which made them conclude that at least one of them was a phone,' she said.
Tracey argued that the provided traffic camera photo showed that both of her hands were on the wheel and that the size of the shadow was not accurate to the shape of her phone.
Using a cell phone while driving is generally not allowed, but there can be exceptions. Credit: iStock.
When is it okay for a driver to use a cell phone while driving?
Drivers are permitted to use their mobile devices for voice communications (making and receiving calls) and audio playback (listening to music) only if their devices are:
Transport NSW said that mobile phone detection cameras would save lives and are 'a key initiative' to reach the government's goal of reducing road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2056.
The organisation also wants to use the cameras to find drivers who aren't wearing seatbelts.
What do you think about this idea, folks? Do you think it's okay for a 'hidden', high-tech camera to snap photographs of drivers using their phones while they're behind the wheel? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, mobile phone detection cameras are being used to catch and prosecute drivers who are texting or talking on their phones while behind the wheel.
Drivers who break the law by using cell phones while driving are being fined heavily. Credit: NSW Government.
Compared to the typical speed and red light cameras, mobile phone detection cameras are a little different. Most of these look like white boxes, but mobile phone detection cameras are black and have a modern design that makes them stand out.
They are often positioned at a right angle, high above the ground, to provide clear views of the front seats of passing cars.
You can identify phone detection cameras by looking for a rectangular black box with black cameras (or a single camera) on either side.
How do they work, and what are the penalties?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used by mobile phone detection cameras to find illegal phone use. They can also work day and night, and in any kind of weather, even fog and heavy rain.
Using AI, the system can scan through photographs automatically, identify guilty drivers, and filter out innocent ones. Then, authorised employees will review the images.
Drivers in NSW who are caught by a mobile phone detection camera will have to pay a fine of $349 or $464 if they were caught in a school zone. They will also receive five demerit points (this will double to 10 demerit points during double demerit periods).
Credit: Transport for NSW.
The high-tech cameras have been met with a variety of reactions from Aussie motorists, including both good and unfavourable comments posted on social media platforms.
Some people were so outraged by the cameras that they called them 'revenue raisers', 'highway robbery' and 'ATM for cops', among other insults.
Some people even said the cameras weren't accurate enough and they got tickets even when they weren't using their phones.
One of them is Tracey, who was driving from Noosa to Brisbane in January when she was snapped by the camera.
After returning from an international trip, she only discovered the violation notice, along with the four demerit points. She claimed there must have been some kind of error.
'The evidence they supplied was a photo of me driving with two hands on the steering wheel and three shadows on my body which made them conclude that at least one of them was a phone,' she said.
Tracey argued that the provided traffic camera photo showed that both of her hands were on the wheel and that the size of the shadow was not accurate to the shape of her phone.
Using a cell phone while driving is generally not allowed, but there can be exceptions. Credit: iStock.
When is it okay for a driver to use a cell phone while driving?
Drivers are permitted to use their mobile devices for voice communications (making and receiving calls) and audio playback (listening to music) only if their devices are:
- In a cradle fixed to the vehicle and doesn't obscure their view of the road
- Able to be operated without touching any part of the phone, such as via Bluetooth or voice activation
Transport NSW said that mobile phone detection cameras would save lives and are 'a key initiative' to reach the government's goal of reducing road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2056.
The organisation also wants to use the cameras to find drivers who aren't wearing seatbelts.
What do you think about this idea, folks? Do you think it's okay for a 'hidden', high-tech camera to snap photographs of drivers using their phones while they're behind the wheel? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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