Warnings for mobile detection cameras begin

A three-month warning period for mobile device detection cameras will begin from Friday, November 3, as part of the next stage of making Canberra’s roads safer.

Drivers caught using a mobile device by one of Canberra’s mobile device detection cameras will now receive a written warning.

Points for violations and demerits will start to be awarded from February 2024.

In February 2023, three portable road safety cameras were introduced on Canberra’s roads, and in June a fixed camera was introduced on Hindmarsh Drive (near the Monaro Highway flyover).

A second fixed camera will be installed on Gungahlin Drive (near the Barton Highway viaduct) by the end of 2023.

We hope this warning phase will reinforce the need for behavior change.

Since the ACT Government began collecting data, more than 39,000 Canberrans have been detected using a mobile device. This figure means that cameras now detect over 150 people breaking the law every day.

Drivers are asked to leave their phones alone and prioritize getting themselves and all road users home safely.

Cameras will be able to detect:

• vehicle driver holding a mobile device in his hand next to his ear or over his shoulder,
• vehicle driver holding a mobile device by placing the device between the driver’s ear and shoulder,
• a driver holding a mobile device in his or her hand, including where it is held at or below chest level,
• the driver touches but does not hold the mobile device with his hand if the device is not mounted in a holder attached to the vehicle, and
• a mobile device that rests on any part of the driver’s body, whether or not it is also touched or held (except where the device is in a pocket of the driver’s clothing or in a bag carried by the driver).

The third stage of a comprehensive road safety campaign will be conducted during the three-month warning period. The campaign aims to make the community aware that using a mobile device while driving is illegal, and also serves as an important warning that from February 2024, any driver who decides to break the law will begin to experience violations.

It is important to note that ACT Police continue to issue fines to drivers found illegally using a mobile phone. The warning period applies only to mobile detection cameras.

The purpose of mobile device detection cameras is to increase road safety by using the latest road safety technologies to prevent and detect unsafe driving.

The introduction of these detection cameras is part of the ACT Government’s ‘Vision Zero’ commitment of zero deaths and serious injuries on Canberra’s roads.

More information can be found at www.act.gov.au/roadsafety.

---

Receive ACT news and events directly to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to our CBR