South Australia’s mobile phone detection cameras have caught thousands of drivers using their phones in the first week of operation.
The artificial intelligence (AI) cameras detected 2,604 incidents, leading to 2,544 fines or 97 percent, following a review by a trained South Australian Police adjudicator. In just one day, 405 fines were issued.
Two drivers received six fines; another will receive five penalties after being caught at multiple camera locations.
A three-month grace period between June 19 and Sept. 18 allowed residents to adjust to the new system. During this period, 68,252 warning notices were sent out for using a mobile phone while driving.
Following the trial, South Australian Police began issuing fines of up to $556, along with a $102 Victims of Crime levy and three demerit points for those caught using their phones while driving.
South Australia Police (SAPOL) Traffic Services Branch Officer in Charge Superintendent Darren Fielke said, “No one can say we didn’t warn” people.
“Disappointingly, our records show the registered vehicle owners that were detected five times and more in the first week had also received warning letters during the grace period.”
The mobile phone detection cameras, located at five high-risk locations with warning signs in Adelaide, monitor 13 lanes.
Across the state, the cameras have overseen more than one million drivers, with 0.24 percent sent a fine.
“This demonstrates people are hearing the call that illegal mobile phone use on our roads will not be tolerated,” Fielke said.
Cameras Detect Drivers With Phones on the Lap
The cameras can detect people with their phones in their laps, on their bodies, touching, or being touched by any part of the body except in “certain circumstances.”The cameras capture images and videos of drivers using their mobile phones illegally through the vehicle windscreen, which are then processed with artificial intelligence before being reviewed in person.
Police pointed to figures showing distraction has been a contributing factor to 2,101 casualty accidents in South Australia, including 23 lost lives and 221 serious injuries.
“Our continued message to drivers is simple; leave your phone alone while driving, or you might pay the ultimate price,” Fielke added.
Narrowing down the fines by location, in Adelaide’s North, 702 people were caught at the North South Motorway Regency Park and 236 at Port Wakefield Road Gepps Cross.
In the West, 553 were caught at South Road Torrensville and 473 at Port Road Hindmarsh, while 580 drivers were detected on the Southern Expressway Darlington in Adelaide’s South.
However, Shadow Transport Minister Vincent Tarzia, now the leader of the Liberal Opposition in SA, had previously criticised the government for not improving the technology used to power the cameras.
FOI documents in May revealed errors in AI technology, which led to a few cases where the wrong people were tied to an offence.
