Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones – World

An Australian state is trying to persuade people to leave their smartphones while driving cameras to process distracted drivers.

New South Wales Highway Minister Andrew Constance said Monday that Australia's most populous state is the first jurisdiction in the world to use such technology to punish drivers distracted by social networks, text messages or calls telephone

Road safety experts are alarmed by the increasing prevalence of accidents involving drivers who use smartphones on the roads of New South Wales. Experts say that drivers who use phones illegally increase their chances of an accident fourfold.

"There is no doubt that driving alcohol with alcohol, as far as I am concerned, is on par with the use of the mobile phone, and that is why we want everyone to know that they will arrest you by doing this anytime, anywhere. "said Constance Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The government intends to deploy 45 mobile phone detection cameras across the state by December, he said.

In fact, each unit contains two cameras. A camera photographs the license plate of a car and a second high-adjustment lens looks down through the windshield and can see what drivers are doing with their hands.

The units use artificial intelligence to exclude drivers who do not touch their phones. Photos that show suspicion of illegal behavior are sent for verification by human eyes before a notice of infringement is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle along with a fine of 344 Australian dollars ($ 232). Some cameras will be permanently fixed at the edges of the roads and others will be placed on trailers and will move around the state.

This year, a six-month trial of two fixed cameras verified 8.5 million vehicles and detected more than 100,000 drivers with their hands on the phones, including a driver who was using a phone and iPad simultaneously. Another driver had a passenger flyer while both were holding phones, the government said.

The government wants to expand the program to 135 million checks a year by 2023. New South Wales has 5.2 million registered vehicles.

The spokesman for the National Association of Roads and Motorists, Peter Khoury, one of the main defenders of road users, accused the government of using stealth to crack down on the illegal use of telephones. While the association supported tougher actions against drivers distracted by phones, it wanted signals to warn motorists that phone detection cameras were working in an area, as is the case with speed cameras in the state.

The government model discovered that phone detection cameras could prevent 100 fatal and serious injuries for five years.

The annual state highway toll in New South Wales decreased by 35 deaths to 354 last year. Police said more than 16,500 drivers had been fined for using phones illegally so far this year.

Drivers can use phones in hands-free bases and via Bluetooth. But it is illegal to touch a phone while driving, except to pass it to a passenger. The ban even applies to drivers who are stationary at red traffic lights or stuck in traffic jams.

Constance said his government was relaxing the law to allow drivers to legally pay with their phones at restaurant entrances.