One "hidden" camera on Gungahlin Drive is netting the ACT government around $1 million in traffic fines per month and is set to generate even more from August when those fined will be checked for valid registration and third party insurance.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Like the camera on Hindmarsh Drive, the Gungahlin Drive mobile phone detection camera scans both southbound lanes and is located on an overhead gantry.
To May 28, there were 5692 infringements issued by the Gungahlin Drive cameras since fines and demerits were activated on February 20, raising more than $2.92 million.
More than 6 million vehicles have been scanned by the new technology since the infringement period began, with 11,487 fines issued.
In just over 13 weeks, the cameras have raised almost $6 million.
The ACT government has confirmed on average there were 125 drivers detected each day using mobile devices while driving. Multiple infringements have been issued to 1295 vehicles.
From August, as staff process these infringements, owners of vehicles who don't have valid registration and insurance requirements will have the additional fines added to their camera offences.
An infringement for driving an unregistered vehicle is $700 and an infringement for driving an uninsured vehicle is $973.
Fines for using a mobile phone while driving start at $514 and three demerit points.
It is an offence for the driver to use a mobile device while a vehicle is moving, or stationary, such as being stopped at traffic lights.
Drivers cannot have a mobile device resting on, or kept in place by, any part of their body such as their lap or leg, tucked between their leg and the seat, between their shoulder and ear, or as an item on their lap.
The effectiveness of the cameras as a deterrent to distracted driving appears to be having an effect on Canberra drivers, if the latest infringement rates provide an indication.
Over 18,000 Canberrans were issued with warnings during the three-month "grace period" before infringements and fines were issued. Over 63,000 had been detected over the initial 12 month period from when the cameras were first trialled.
Should the current rate of detection continue, mobile phone usage while driving will have reduced by some 36 per cent over a 12-month period.
What appears almost certain to come however, is the "technology creep" the cameras offer with a simple software upgrade.
Seat belt offences and speeding are almost certain to be added to the cameras' detection capability, as they have elsewhere; adding it is a simple plug and play.
In last year's November budget, it was revealed the ACT government expected to collect $51 million in traffic fines in the 2023-24 financial year, rising to $65.9 million in 2024-25 and $104.1 million in 2025-26.
Taking your eyes off the road to illegally use a mobile phones is regarded as one of the riskiest actions a driver can take, a significant contributor to road crashes. In just three seconds, a vehicle travelling at 60kmh has travelled 50 metres.
There were 1266 people killed on the roads nationally in 2023, up 7.3 per cent on 2022. No improvement is in sight, with 438 killed in the first four months of 2024, fueling tougher approaches to enforcement.
