Hi-tech cameras sting motorists
HUNDREDS of Queensland motorists have been caught on the state government’s new hi-tech cameras using their mobile phone behind the wheel while not wearing a seatbelt at the same time.
The Courier-Mail can reveal that in the first year the offence detection cameras were on Queensland roads, 467 drivers – or about nine every week – were caught out doing both offences at once.
It means they would have been hit with at least $1400 in fines and a minimum of seven demerit point penalties with just one snap of the camera.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey slammed the behaviour from the drivers as “disgraceful” – warning their “selfish” actions were endangering themselves and everyone else on the roads.
“We know not wearing a seatbelt makes you nine times more likely to die in a car crash,” Mr Bailey said.
“We also know using your phone while driving makes you four times more likely to have a crash.
“So, these people are making it more likely they’ll crash and hurt innocent motorists as well as themselves in that crash by using their phone illegally and not wearing a seatbelt.”
Queensland University of Technology’s CARRS-Q professor Andry Rakotonirainy said the number of motorists nabbed committing both offences at once was “not good”.
He warned there had been an uplift in non-compliance in Australia when it came to seatbelt usage in recent times.
“If you want to improve road safety, you should take care of yourself and the other road user,” he said.
“Don’t use your mobile phone, and wear your seatbelt. That is the best protection.”
The government last July increased the fine for those not wearing a seatbelt to over $1000 so that it matched the penalty for mobile phone usage.
Drivers caught doing both offences after the July 1 change would have been hit with more than $2000 in fines, as well as a steeper demerit penalty of eight points.
Queensland last year experienced its worst road toll since 2009, with 299 people losing their lives.
The government hosted a road safety summit earlier in the year aimed at finding ways to reduce the number of fatalities.
Mr Bailey on Wednesday said “a lot of thorough” work was underway in the wake of the summit, which involved a range of stakeholders including CARRS-Q.
He said Queensland had recorded 18 fewer road fatalities in the year to date compared to the same time in 2022.
In the first year the detection cameras were used in Queensland, about 119,000 drivers were fined for using their mobile phone.