Aussie drivers warned as millions in new road fines set to be issued from today
Officials hope the new mobile detection cameras will make a dent in South Australia's dangerous driving problem, with almost 120 people killed in 2023.
Mobile phone detection cameras which have been operating in test mode since June have now been turned on permanently for more than a million local motorists, as a three-month grace period officially came to an end overnight.
From Thursday, South Australia's new mobile detection cameras will be officially on the lookout for distracted drivers using their devices behind the wheel, with a fleet of new road signs also rolled out to warn motorists at each of the camera locations. Those sites include the Adelaide suburbs of Gepps Cross, Regency Park, Hindmarsh, Torrensville and Darlington.
Officers said during the three month grace period, police sent out an incredible 68,252 warning letters for phone offences. If fines had been issued during this period it would have totalled a whopping $45 million in just three months. From today, authorities are now expected to rack up millions in fines by the end of the year.
One driver received a staggering 33 letters, two received 32 warning letters and one received 31 letters. "That is just disgraceful behaviour," the state's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens told media of repeat offenders.
Images released by police on Wednesday appear to suggest some drivers have been defiantly protesting the cameras by deliberately flouting them. In one picture, a driver can be seen gesturing with their middle figure toward the camera while holding a phone in the other hand, apparently aware they were being watched.
'No more excuses', police warn
Traffic Services Branch Officer Superintendent Darren Fielke warned residents from Thursday, "there'll be no more excuses". "We have gone through a long process of educating drivers about the cameras, where they are operating and have provided a grace period — there is no excuse for being caught," he said.
"Taking your eyes off the road, even for a split second, to read or respond to a message, slows down your reaction time and increases the chances of having a crash. This applies even when you are stationary at traffic lights as you are slow to react to changing traffic conditions, such as lights changing, or the movement of pedestrians, bicycles or other vehicles."
Up until now, drivers have been issued warning letters when caught on their phones, but that's all set to change, with fines worth a whopping $658 now set to be distributed. That figure is made up of a $556 fine plus an additional $102 Victims of Crime levy.
"A driver who is 18 years and older will receive a $556 fine, plus a $102 Victims of Crime levy and three demerit points," an SA Police spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. Drivers under the age of 18 years will receive $556 fine plus a $20 Victims of Crime levy and 3 demerit points.
Offending motorists will also attract three demerit points. Officials hope the new cameras will make a dent in the state's problem with dangerous driving, with almost 120 people killed on SA roads in 2023.
Distraction has been a suspected cause in 1631 collisions so far in 2024, with 21 lives lost and 215 serious injuries being attributed to distraction, according to police.
Officials hope cameras will help reduce rate of road trauma
During a two-month trial period earlier this year, some seven million motorists were detected on the cameras across the state, and of those, 71,044 people were found to have been using their mobile phone behind the wheel.
In an earlier update in July, officers announced they'd snapped a 31,000 drivers using their phones behind the wheel with as many warning letters sent out to motorists.
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