Did you know that if you are driving 60km/h you will travel 33 metres blind if looking at your phone for just 2 seconds?
With the number of mobile phone owners set to reach 20 million this year, it was probably inevitable that cameras to detect drivers using mobile phones would be rolled out sooner rather than later.
In response to a growing issue, Transport New South Wales has announced the implementation of a world first plan to catch drivers who use their phones while driving.
This plan will see both fixed and moveable cameras be mounted at various locations, state wide. The scheme is supposed to be introduced by the end of 2019 however specific details are currently very scant.
Transport New South Wales has confirmed that warning letters will be issued for the first three months of the program however following this period, the penalty for offending drivers is five demerit points and a $344 fine ($457 in a school zone).
Transport New South Wales are urging drivers to "get your hand off it!" This is because unlike speed cameras, mandatory warning signs will not be required and the new mobile detection cameras can operate anywhere, anytime and in all weather conditions. Between January and June 2019, Transport New South Wales ran a pilot test where 3 cameras detected 100,000 drivers using their phones while driving.
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