Aussie drivers warned of $556 road penalty set to come into effect within days
Tens of thousands of drivers caught on their phones in the last three months in one state have only been sent warnings. But that's about to change.
Motorists in one Australian jurisdiction are being reminded they'll soon cop steep fines if they're photographed on their phones behind the wheel, after a three-month grace period comes to an official end next week.
Tens of thousands of drivers throughout South Australia have been snapped on their phones in the last three months on the state's new mobile phone detection cameras, but so far they've only been sent warning letters. That's all about to change on Thursday, September 19 when the three-month grace period ends, with offenders now set to be issued a $556 fine and three demerit points.
SA's first mobile phone detection cameras were rolled out in January as part of a $16 million plan to reduce fatalities on roads caused by driver distraction.
Officials hope the new cameras will make a dent in the growing problem, with almost 120 people killed on SA roads in 2023. During a two-month trial period, 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, police revealed earlier this year.
Aussies warned as grace period comes to formal end
In the latest update in July, officers announced they'd snapped a further 31,000 drivers using their phones behind the wheel with as many warning letters sent out to motorists. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia on Wednesday, a spokesperson for SA Police said updated figures on the amount of motorists caught on their devices while driving are set to be released within days.
The continued pattern of irresponsible behaviour by drivers is both concerning and disappointing, Traffic Services Branch Superintendent Darren Fielke earlier said of the issue on SA roads.
"The cameras recorded at least one distracted motorist driving with their mobile phone less than every two minutes — this shows the extent of the issue relating to distraction we have on our roads," Superintendent Fielke said.
"We are giving South Australian drivers ample opportunity to change their driver behaviour and stop using a mobile phone while they are driving through this grace period. Distraction, including mobile phone use, is a significant contributor to crashes of all types on our roads.
"Drivers who are not getting the message need to change their driving behaviour very quickly, or they’ll lose their licence, which in some cases could be their livelihood, or worst of all kill themselves or another innocent road user."
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