Phone using, unbelted drivers on candid cameras
A safety camera trial monitoring how many people drive while using their cellphones or while not wearing seatbelts will start today in Auckland.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says no enforcement action will be taken during the trial and no motorists will receive infringement notices, warnings or any other communication from the agency as a result of the trial.
The six-month trial will operate across two Auckland state highways and one local road and all images taken will be deleted within 48 hours, except for “a small number of anonymised images” kept for reporting purposes.
The agency said the trial is the first of its kind in New Zealand.
While mobile phone use while driving and seatbelt wearing were well-known issues, the agency did not have accurate information about the scale of them.
In a tweet, Waka Kotahi said the trial would provide useful insight into these issues and test the technology itself.
The trial is part of Road to Zero, the country’s road safety strategy, which includes encouraging people to make good choices on the roads, such as not using their phones while driving and wearing seatbelts, the agency said.
According to Waka Kotahi, one person on average is killed every day on New Zealand roads while a further seven are seriously injured.
The vision of the Road to Zero strategy is to have no deaths or serious injuries in road crashes.
The transport agency said a privacy impact assessment of the trial had been carried out and it had worked with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to “address all privacy matters”.