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Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

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Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#151

Post by javagram »

berns wrote: post #107
javagram wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People using their phones while waiting for the light is absolutely a safety issue. They aren’t paying attention and when the light turns green they may either hit a pedestrian as they hurry to move , or not notice the green and be rear ended by a driver who expects them to begin moving.

> or not notice the green and be rear ended by a driver who expects them to begin moving. What? If you ever hit someone like that, I'd say you're ten times more dangerous than anyone texting.

The driver behind them might be texting too! They see in their peripheral vision that the car next to them is moving and hit the gas without properly looking around.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#152

Post by jimmux »

drivingeve wrote: post #137
tiew9Vii wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agree. I can’t figure it out though, they have some strict standards getting a license, red p’s for 12-24 months + 120 logbook hours, then green p’s where they are restricted to dangerous below highway speeds so have drivers aggressively overtaking them. Despite this, standards seem far lower than Europe. The horn thing is really annoying, often the person being beeped can’t move forward anyway due to traf…

The difference between European and Australian drivers is not that Australians have to do 120 hours of supervised driving, but that the supervisor for the hours of driving in Australia is usually the parents of the learner. So any bad habbits from parents are taught between generations. Compare that to the European system where you are requiredto hire a professional driving instructor to teach you (at great expense I…

I got my license in Canberra, where I had the option to skip the driving test by doing enough hours with a qualified driving instructor. It was a big contrast to my previous struggles to get supervised drives with friends and family.

I had picked up a habit of going much too fast around every corner, because the owner of the car I was practicing in insisted that it must be done that way. She did it because that's what her brother taught her. The real instructor got rid of that bad habit very quickly.

It's a bit more expensive, but honestly it's so much quicker to get good and less stressful that I recommend it to anyone who has the option.

People lie in the log book, too. So I don't believe many actually do the 120 hours they claim.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#153

Post by jimmux »

DEADBEEFC0FFEE wrote: post #145
tiew9Vii wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agree. I can’t figure it out though, they have some strict standards getting a license, red p’s for 12-24 months + 120 logbook hours, then green p’s where they are restricted to dangerous below highway speeds so have drivers aggressively overtaking them. Despite this, standards seem far lower than Europe. The horn thing is really annoying, often the person being beeped can’t move forward anyway due to traf…

I drive in Australia, and I'm not like what you have described. My general attitude is to be courteous. That doesn't mean I dont nip through on amber, or go over the speed limit by a couple kph, or park. However I do behave as I would want other to behave. I don't drive too close to cars in front. I zip feed always . I indicate, even if nobody is around. I treat bikes and bicycles like other cars. I defer to busses.…

Courtesy makes all the difference, but it's not easy sometimes. Too many drivers are happy to take advantage of 2-second gaps, or use an early indication of lane change as a sign to beat you to a gap.

I always wonder how people like that act outside vehicles. It's really no different to jumping a queue, but I bet of you did that to them outside a metal box they would call you out.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#154

Post by bogomipz »

The new New South Wales Roads Minister Andrew Constance emphatically states:

“>There is no doubt drink-driving as far as I’m concerned is on a par with mobile phone use, and that’s why we want everyone to be aware that you’re going to get busted doing this anytime, anywhere,” Constance told Australian Broadcasting Corp."

But the further down we read:

>"Photos that show suspected illegal behavior are referred for verification by human eyes before an infringement notice is sent to the vehicle’s registered owner along with a 344 Australian dollar ($232) fine."

I'm guessing the penalty for being caught driving under the influence in Australia is far greater than $344 AUD. Why wouldn't they price the infraction for driving while texting similarly then?

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#155

Post by bogomipz »

Franciscouzo wrote: post #105
megablast wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we do. Every single car should be tracked. 40,000 people are killed every year due to car drivers, we should start taking this seriously.

That just sounds like a band-aid solution, what is needed are walkable cities, and decent public transportation.

Well New York City is the epitome of a "walkable city" and also has "decent public transportation." Yet there's no shortage of either cars and drivers behind the wheel texting.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#156

Post by brokenmachine »

GordonS wrote: post #95
Sendotsh wrote: post #89

Good. People in Australia don't take driving seriously. I spend a lot of time on the road, and have lived all over Australia, and the one defining thing I've found in common all over the country is that people are WAY too casual about driving. Sydney and Melbourne being the worst by far, with it being so bad it has become entertainment[0] On any given commute you'll see dozens of people playing with their phone while…

True story, in the UK: I once saw a guy using an electric razor while driving - and overtaking at ~80mph. I regularly see women doing makeup while driving, stretching up to see their face in the mirror, their car often drifting from left to right. The things some people do while driving are... amazingly fucking stupid.

I'm in Australia and I once saw a lady in a 4WD holding coffee and a cigarette in the one hand, and a phone in the other.

She had kids in the back and looked to be driving only using her elbows.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#157

Post by brokenmachine »

As an Australian, I'm happy they're doing something about stopping stupid/distracted drivers.

I'm also very nervous because I'm 100% sure this will end up being abused or "enhanced" in some scary way in the future, or used as an argument for more government AI cameras to police other transgressions.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#158

Post by brokenmachine »

y4mi wrote: post #3

So they're ramping up the detection of people using their phones while waiting for the traffic light to turn green? Doesn't really sound like this is actually about safety. I doubt these cameras can capture the photo do a decent quality on that angle for anything but standing or very slow moving cars But I guess we can hope it will stop some people, even if there will be a lot of people caught that weren't really end…

The example pictures they showed on the news reports had cars doing at least 80kmh. It was in the info at the top of the pictures.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#159

Post by brokenmachine »

javagram wrote: post #151
berns wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or not notice the green and be rear ended by a driver who expects them to begin moving. What? If you ever hit someone like that, I'd say you're ten times more dangerous than anyone texting.

The driver behind them might be texting too! They see in their peripheral vision that the car next to them is moving and hit the gas without properly looking around.

Well, that's more dangerous than texting while stopped.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#160

Post by Guthur »

And yet in the same state, NSW, they could do nothing when my car was stolen and recorded speeding on the motorway. And took nearly a year to apprehend a suspect in the shooting of a fast food restaurant worker when it was caught on multiple cameras.

I'm not saying that people should be free to use phones but it's increasingly obvious to me that the police's main objective is to keep mostly lawful people in line, pursuing criminal activity is a secondary concern.

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