Cameras Being Used To Catch Queensland Drivers
New technology cameras have caught hundreds of Queensland drivers who used their cell phones while driving, following a pledge from the state to crack down on unsafe driving. It will soon be much more difficult for any driver from Queensland to get away with using a mobile phone while driving and for a driver or front-seat passenger not to wear a seat belt, thanks to the installation of new cameras to detect illegal behaviour. About 500 drivers a day have been caught using new high-tech traffic cameras using cell phones and not wearing seat belts while driving. The Queensland government said that over a two-week period from January 25 to February 7, around 500 drivers were captured daily by innovative mobile phone and seat belt cameras.
High-tech camera technology captured 293 drivers using their phones while driving three or more times between November and December last year. The announcement comes after another state announced it would deploy new camera technology that would allow them to detect drivers using their mobile phones. Drivers with cell phone detection cameras will become a permanent fixture on Queensland’s roads from the end of this month. Queensland will reportedly be the first place in the world to use fixed cameras to detect seat belt violations. In the first three months of action, motorists will not be fined, but simply warned for violations.
Drivers caught using a cell phone risk receiving a $1,033 fine
At the end of the first three months of the rollout of smart cameras in Queensland, drivers will be fined $1,033 and four demerit points for using a phone while driving, making the fine the largest fine for an offence in Australia. Under current Queensland traffic regulations, a driver who illegally uses a phone can be fined $1,033 and four points. Drivers caught using a cell phone risk receiving a $1,033 fine, while drivers not wearing a seatbelt could face three demerit points and a $413 fine. February 1, and drivers caught twice in a year risk losing their driver’s license.
The announcement follows a three-month trial that evaluated nearly 680,000 vehicles and found that one in 42 drivers was seen using a phone illegally. The test also showed that the technology could detect drivers not wearing seat belts, with one in 667 committing a crime in the state. Checking times and addresses were among the excuses for drivers caught using their phones while driving in a new video released to mark the introduction of harsh new penalties for distracted driving. As many as 1,327 violation notices were issued to hundreds of Queensland drivers, with an average of 4.5 warnings per driver.
Beginning Monday, July 26 the Queensland government will have phone and seat belt detection cameras on at all times.
Feature Image by TheDigitalWay from Pixabay