Major crackdown for drivers who break this road rule
New South Wales will be the first place in the world to introduce speed-camera-style technology to detect illegal mobile phone use by drivers.
NSW Minister for Roads, Melinda Pavey, said the decision to introduce cameras to detect illegal phone use by drivers was similar to the ''revolutionary'' decision on December 17, 1982 to introduce breath-testing technology to catch drivers driving under the influence. The introduction of breath-testing cut fatal accidents by 48 per cent.
The new rules passed by NSW Parliament on Wednesday also extend mobile drug testing to include cocaine and toughen penalties for motorists under the influence of drugs.
“The community wants safer roads and better driver behaviour,” said Mrs Pavey. "Three quarters of those surveyed supported the use of cameras to enforce illegal mobile phone use."
Between 2012 to 2017, 184 crashes involved illegal mobile phone use, and resulted in seven deaths and 105 injuries.
More than 40,000 people were fined by NSW Police for illegal mobile phone use in the 2016-17 financial year.
Parliament was told that 20 seconds of mobile phone use in a car travelling at 60km/h was equivalent to driving blind for 330 metres.
Mrs Pavey stressed the new rules were not a revenue-raising measure because the new legislation directed funds raised from fines into a Community Road Safety Fund.
A fully licensed driver illegally using a mobile phone will cops a $330 fine and four demerit points.
Fully licensed drivers may only use their mobiles hands free to play audio, make or answer a call, or for navigation. Drivers cannot hold phones, nestle them in laps or cradle them between shoulder and ear.