Drivers beware: if you’re using your phone behind the wheel there’s now a much better chance that you’ll soon be caught.
Testing is underway on SA’s first overhead mobile phone detection cameras installed at four key metropolitan corridors in a bid to reduce dangerous distraction behind the wheel.
The cameras have been fitted on existing digital signage at:
- South Rd, Torrenville
- Southern Expressway, Darlington
- North-South Motorway, Regency Park
- Port Wakefield Rd, Gepps Cross.
A fifth site, at Port Rd in Hindmarsh, will go live for testing in the coming weeks.
During a trial of a camera on a single lane at South Rd, Torrenvsille last year, SA Police detected one in 84 drivers using their mobile phone - at an average of 177 incidents a year.
Between 1 April and 28 April 2023, a total of 4955 incidents were detected from 415,805 passing vehicles.
The cameras are part of a $15.9 million State Government investment to curb road trauma and improve safety,
Driver inattention, which includes phone use, is a contributing factor in around half of all lives lost and over a third of serious injuries.
Throughout the testing phase starting in April 2024, vehicles will be photographed and validated by SA Police, but no further action will be taken against drivers until 19 June 2024 when a three-month grace period begins.
During this period, vehicle owners will be issued with a warning letter advising them that the driver of their vehicle has been detected by the camera.
From 19 September 2024, SA Police will issue fines to vehicle owners or drivers, which are currently $540 (plus a $99 Victims of Crime levy) and three demerit points.
All funds raised from the fines will be returned to the Community Road Safety Fund, to deliver crucial initiatives across the state, including road safety improvements, education programs and hard-hitting public advertising.
Camera locations were selected based on research by Adelaide University’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research, considering crash trends and targeting busy road corridors across metropolitan Adelaide.
The cameras work by capturing high-quality images from multiple angles through the driver’s windscreen, with artificial intelligence software identifying drivers on their mobile phones.
Photographs of drivers are then validated by SA Police, with images of those following the law deleted.
Superintendent Darren Fielke, SAPOL Officer in Charge Traffic Services Branch, said that mobile phone use was one of the “Fatal Five” causes of death on the road.
“Although distraction can be more than mobile phone use, so far this year it has been a suspected cause in 1511 collisions,” Supt Fielke said.
“Of the 27 lives lost in 2024, seven have been attributed to distraction while distraction has caused 123 serious injuries.
“Our message to drivers is simple; leave your phone alone while driving. Taking your eyes of 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.”
It's a message seconded by Get Home Safe Foundation President Darren Davis.
“We can't make it more simple – it's illegal to use your phone when driving because it's dangerous,” Mr Davis said.
“I've met too many people whose lives have been devastated by inattentive drivers. All we want is for everyone to get home safe. Just do that one thing. The text can wait.
"My frustration and anger at people who are texting while driving is shared by most other drivers. We all want the selfish few to stop this behaviour now, before it's too late.”
The State Government initiative builds on the $168 million Road Safety Program jointly funded with the Commonwealth, in addition to $98 million included in the 2023-24 State Budget – totalling more than a quarter of a billion dollars invested over five years to make South Australian roads safer.
