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Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

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191–200 of 227 posts

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#191

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…

As an Australian who has driven extensively in many countries, my observation is that the quality and attitude of drivers around the world maps fairly closely to the style of the built environment and regulatory environment. Australian roads are unceasingly sensible. Every road is an appropriate width, every road has a logical speed limit, overtaking zones are clearly marked, heck, every bend on a fast road has a sig…

I am also Australian, have driven all over the continent, but currently live in Austria and am constantly having to deal with people who have no clue what a 'minimum safe stopping distance' is .. its just incredible to me that this key safety behaviour is not entrenched in the minds of most Austrian drivers.

I've also noticed that the cars that offer the most 'comfort' to the driver, are the most dangerous for others - the luxury SUV's, the sports cars with high-torque engines, etc. I believe that the environment of the car begets the attitude of the driver - and in many cases its imperious, officious, classist. For some reason, people who drive the more expensive cars believe they 'deserve the road'.

Then, there is Hungary. It is easily one of the most dangerous places I've ever driven, and I've been around the world. Hungarian drivers seem to have absolutely no fear with overtaking slower vehicles, no matter the state of oncoming traffic. So many times I've had someone overtake me - me, doing the speed limit - only to have to crush an emergency lane recovery in split-second timing in order to avoid certain, violent death from oncoming traffic.

All around the world, driving is a cultural artifact. I sure am glad to have gone electric - slow, weak, but it takes me out of the speed-freak zone and puts me in the slow lane, where its .. relative to the other lanes .. pretty safe, all things considered.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't need police-connected camera networks running machine learning in any US city.

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.

Serious question - why? Car related deaths are at the lowest they’ve been per capita in 80 years [1]. Seems to me like we don’t really need to do anything. Hardly seems justified to bring in draconian AI.

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_...

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#193

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…

Agree with everything as a Sydney dweller, and especially this...

> tap their horn at you to remind you the light has been green for 30 seconds now and you're still flicking through Facebook.

The number of times I've seen this happen then the idiot wakes up, goes, and the light is now red - and we're all still there. Better not even tell them next time.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#194
Unpopular opinion, but vehicle deaths are at basically the lowest they’ve been since the introduction of the car. I honestly believe phone use while driving hasn’t had a major effect on safety overall. The statistics certainly don’t indicate it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_...

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#195
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Screw the poors and their non-integrated GPS. "The poors" can still use their non-integrated GPS, just in a safe (set your destination before you drive, pull over to adjust) manner. That's what everyone should be doing anyway.

People who don't drive new enough cars to have integrated GPS buy a suction cup mount for their phone. It's not 2012 anymore, everyone has smartphones, nobody but truckers uses standalone GPS. I know this crowd is too high class to know what it's like but something like using your phone for GPS can be the difference between leaving a fishing stop with a warning or a ticket depending on what kinds of citations the dep…

>nobody but truckers uses standalone GPS

Here in south australia, if you're on your P1s you cannot use mobile phones in any way while driving, including handsfree and mounted GPS function. I got a Garmin (as a birthday present) which I still use even though I can use my phone now, since it's actually very nice (especially traffic/red light camera warnings, school zone and speed limit change notifications, live traffic, etc.).

I'd be heartily in favor of phones being banned from being used as GPS/navigation aids, since it seems most people don't have the self control not to interact with their phones while driving - it would remove it as a distraction and hopefully prevent "opportunistic" phone use.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#196

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…

> strict standards getting a license, red p’s for 12-24 months + 120 logbook hours It was an open secret (by secret I mean bragging) that people would forge their logbook hours - that hour rule only came in semi-recently so I'm not sure on the age of some posters here who haven't mentioned this. Either way, P plates statically have a high propensity to get into accidents although from experience alone I would not say…

It was 50 hours in NSW back when I did it ~20 years ago, and most people still forged it. It was mainly out of laziness though (not updating every time, just fill it in when you book the test).

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#197
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. I'm sure the language of laws in many regions suggests that using tap-to-pay with your phone at a drive-thru is technically illegal, but I'd be curious to see if anybody has actually been ticketed for it or if this is just fearmongering.

I'm pretty sure a drive-through isn't considered a public road in most jurisdictions, similar to how people usually don't worry about speed traps on Nürburgring.

Under australian motor law (on phone so I'm not going reference hunting but you can look it up) anywhere you can drive that isn't explicitly private (such as a driveway or a fenced off road on a farm) is a public road - this includes drivethroughs and car parks (even the mutistory carparks you have to pay to get in - if you can pay, as a member of the public, to get in then it's a public road).

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#198

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 veri…

They don't need to increase the price, just make it a 6 month loss of licence for the first time, 1 year for the second and 5 for the 3rd. 4th offence should probably be life time loss of license.

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth noting that this is legal in some places. Not everyone on HN may be aware of that. I know I was surprised when I first saw it.

It's legal in NSW Australia so long as traffic is not moving.

It's legal in traffic moving up to 30 km/h (including the rider) actually.

https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/motorcyc...

Re: Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones

#200

The only technology needed to solve bad/dangerous driving is a cheap camera phone. Allow people to turn in video of people violating traffic laws in public places for money. Receive more money if it leads to prosecution/fine. Rewards split amongst all who submit videos. Big bonus if person is DUI/OUI/OWI prosecuted. If it's too much to have just anyone do this, then have some sort of minimal-requirements program wher…

Absolutely.

Give the public a cut of the fine, have some rules to avoid abuse, and we'd all be buying dashcams. It'll help so much.

A friend told me Taiwan did something similar to great effect (perhaps it was for littering from vehicles) but I'm struggling to find a reference.

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