Far too often, you pull up at a set of traffic lights and spot a driver glancing down at something in their lap. It doesn't take long to realise that they're scrolling through a mobile phone.
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So it should come as no surprise to read close to 70,000 people have been caught by the state's mobile phone detection cameras since they went live on March 1.
The NSW government introduced the cameras in December, but drivers were sent warning letters for three months. More than 30,000 people were caught in that period.
It is worrying that the 100,000-odd offenders were caught out by only a small number of cameras. It is believed about eight are in operation across the state.
But more are on the way.
The government plans to have 45 operating by 2022-23 as part of a suite of initiatives to cut the road toll to zero by 2056.
NSW was the first state in Australia to adopt the cameras. Placed on the side of roads, or on bridges, the cameras take a photo of every vehicle that passes by.
The images are automatically analysed to detect offending drivers. The images are then reviewed before fines hit the mail.
The number of drivers caught out across the nine months the cameras have been used in NSW suggests illegal mobile phone use by drivers is rampant.
Despite no end of road safety awareness campaigns, for some reason many people are still not getting the message.
But the cameras may finally break, or at the very least curb, what has become a disturbing habit among drivers.
Driving is a complex activity and anything that takes your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road is dangerous, not just for you, but everyone else.
In NSW since 2012, there have been 183 casualty crashes involving a driver or rider using a hand held mobile phone - resulting in 13 deaths and 245 injuries.
However, the statistics are likely far worse. The contribution of mobile phone distraction to road trauma is under-reported due to difficulties with obtaining conclusive evidence at crash scenes.
The Centre for Road Safety says the mobile phone detection cameras will contribute to a reduction in road trauma of approximately 100 fatal and serious injury crashes over a five-year period.
Even if they save one life, they will have been a worthwhile investment.
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