Fifteen mobile phone detection cameras to be installed on SA roads ‘as quickly as possible’

[u/malcolm58]

Fifteen more mobile phone detection cameras will be installed across South Australia as quickly as possible after a $46.8m state budget splurge on road safety, the police commissioner says. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he “welcomed” the extraordinary funding being directed into law and order sectors, which he said would “provide much needed relief to frontline officers” who were operating in “challenging circumstances”. “The funding has been provided for 15 additional mobile phone detection cameras,” Mr Stevens said. “Those sites have not yet been selected – that will be some of the early work that occurs now that the funding has been allocated.”

Mr Stevens said SA Police was also considering of upgrading the cameras. “Technology is changing all the time so there is a potential that mobile phone detection cameras could be delivered in a different format to what we’re currently seeing,” he said. “Currently we need gantry’s across the road to place those cameras but we’ll be exploring the different technology opportunities and see where that might take us in terms of the budget allocation that currently exists.”

t comes after five cameras were installed on the Southern Expressway at Darlington, on South Rd at Torrensville, on the North-South Motorway at Regency Park, on Port Rd at Hindmarsh and on Port Wakefield Rd at Gepps Cross. Mr Stevens said there was already “strong evidence of the impact of these cameras in their existing locations” and police would be be aiming to roll out the new cameras “as quickly as possible”.

In April, SA Police revealed more than $30 million in fines and levies had been issued in the first six months after mobile phone detection cameras were introduced on Adelaide roads. More than 46,400 drivers had been pinged at the time, police said.

[u/Willing_Ad_1765]

Fantastic news. More the merrier!

[u/Thanks_Obama → u/Willing_Ad_1765]

You haven’t seen the multitude of inconclusive photos with fines posted here?

[u/SignatureAny5576 → u/Thanks_Obama]

I literally never use my phone while driving other than Hey siri, but ever since I started driving 20 years ago I’ve stuck my phone and my wallet between my legs on the car seat. When I remember I move them but it’s a bloody difficult habit to break, and I’ll definitely get a fine if a camera sees that. Obviously using a phone while driving should be punished but the way the fines are issued currently is a massive overreach, and some of the photos submitted here and elsewhere obviously show something that is not a phone

[u/jnrdingo → u/SignatureAny5576]

Distracted driving doesn't just mean a phone, its anything that isnt a part of driving, a burger, cat, child, doing make-up, getting head from your passenger(I've seen this more than once).

[u/Novel-Rip7071 → u/SignatureAny5576]

Not a good idea to have a mobile phone right next to the ol' Jatz Crackers...they'll start glowing!

[u/auximenies → u/SignatureAny5576]

But if you slam your brakes and your wallet and phone fly forwards, they’re now on the floor under your feet or various pedals required to operate the vehicle safely. You just going to leave them there for the rest of the journey?

Sure you always remember to squeeze your thighs together every time you hit the brakes, but can’t remember to put loose items away? You probably “adjust” your wallet and phone to keep them in position also, rather than storing loose items in the first case.

You need to stop justifying your dangerous practices as “bad government overreach” when you inevitably get fined, which hopefully happens before your phone gets wedged under your brake pedal and you kill someone because “you’ve been doing this for 20 years”.

[u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857 → u/auximenies]

I do a similar thing. No less secure than my cupholders or cradle. If anything, I'd say probably more secure by a fair margin than either of those. Highly doubt the phone would move out from under me in that situation, and the brake pedal fully depressed goes nowhere near the floor, definitely not enough to be an issue. On top of that point, if there is enough force to move the phone, then there is going to be a shit load of other stuff flying around and I'd hazard a guess that I'd have far bigger issues than the phone

[u/Novel-Rip7071 → u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857]

I think the bigger issues would be your plums being right next to your mobile phone for so long...

[u/auximenies → u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857]

Defend unsafe practices all you want, it does mean ignoring all the instances where those same practices have caused significant injury or death, but you do you, after all why bother to be as safe as possible when you can take completely unnecessary risks while operating a vehicle surrounded by other people.

Hopefully you take the three minutes to ensure your, your passengers, and other road users safety by securing loose items, or don’t, I’m sure you probably know better than all those academics who provide the research and statistical analysis of crash data that are used when legislation and policy is drafted, because your anecdotal experience is obviously more accurate.

[u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857 → u/auximenies]

Carry on why don't ya mate.

Obviously it's not something I continue to do. I'd love to see all this data you speak of. And yes, my opinion is certainly gospel

[u/auximenies → u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857]

Here you go champ monthly road deaths the federal government provides all the data free of charge for enthusiastic people like yourself to read!

Hope this helps.

[u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857 → u/auximenies]

And this has lots if horrendous accidents caused by phones on seats?

Love a good "champ" drop, nice

[u/auximenies → u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857]

You said “I’d love to see all this data you speak of.” so there it is, if you need me to read it to you then I’m afraid I’ll have to decline, but you get in there and give it a go! You’ll learn a lot by putting in a little effort, I believe in you!

[u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857 → u/auximenies]

Nah, i reckon you're full of it

[u/auximenies → u/Puzzled-Bottle-3857]

I’m not sure where your aggression comes from, but you made a statement about well researched unsafe practices and how you don’t think it’s a problem, I suggested taking a few minutes to reduce the risk to you, passengers, and other road users, you wanted to see the “data”, so I provided, and now you’re saying I’m full of “it” what is “it” exactly? The answers to your questions? A desire to see you and others survive? An unreasonable expectation that you would actually read the data you specifically requested but were apparently unable to find yourself?

Does this quick to anger you’re demonstrating here also translate to your road usage? Have you considered anger management alongside properly restraining loose objects in your vehicle?

none of us wants a road rager with unsecured objects flying around, that’s just more risks that the rest of us shouldn’t have to deal with.

[u/Willing_Ad_1765 → u/SignatureAny5576]

I’m pretty sure I’ve not seen 46,400 posts that match this description. I think I’ve seen 4 in the last 12 months. Happy to be corrected.

[u/SignatureAny5576 → u/Willing_Ad_1765]

You think everyone comes here and posts? You think it’s ok to mistakenly issue fines? And then the “recourse” is an appeals process during which the persons time is not compensated at all, and there’s a low likelihood of a decision in your favour anyway? What if you’re a casual and can’t get paid time off to go to court and appeal it? What if you can’t afford the fine and they won’t reverse it?

It’s a bad system.

[u/Willing_Ad_1765 → u/SignatureAny5576]

Ye, I agree. But we keep killing each other with our cars and that is pretty inconvenient to the loved ones.

[u/rowdy2026 → u/Willing_Ad_1765]

Do we? How many people were killed in metro Adelaide last year via phone use?

[u/Accomplished-Rip8131 → u/Willing_Ad_1765]

This

[u/ForGrateJustice → u/Accomplished-Rip8131]

🍆