Drivers Will Be Hit With $250 Fines If They Even Touch Phones Thanks To New Traffic Cameras

Nov 07, 2019 by apost team

With the installation of new HD cameras for road surveillance, drivers in the UK who touch their phones for only brief moments will get punished for violating the law.

Until recently, drivers could escape conviction due to a loophole that enabled them to escape penalties when they were caught with their hands on their phones. Police currently cannot cite violations unless motorists are actively texting, calling or interacting on their devices in some way while being observed by officers. This fact was brought under close attention by authorities when a man filmed a crash while driving reports the RAC. He was able to appeal a conviction for using his phone while driving.

apost.com

His lawyer got him off with the argument that his client wasn't communicating on the device when he was using it. It could only be proven that the man was holding the phone. The Department of Transport is taking steps to catch people who are interacting with their devices for any purpose such as texting, scrolling through music files or other similar activities. Any of these infractions, when people are caught, will subject violators to prosecution. New HD cameras are designed to provide clear images that prove that people are operating their phones while driving.

Proposals are expected to pass in 2020. When the new system is in place, violators can expect to pay up to £200 ($250) in fines and receive six points on their driving records.

The HD cameras will be placed overhead on gantries to take clear images of drivers using mobile phones. The images will be sent to the police, and violators will receive notices in the mail as they would about speeding violations.

The new penalties and cameras are good news for lawmakers, but authorities are still concerned about the dangers of hands-free mobile usage.

Research from the RAC has revealed that 17 percent of drivers admit to taking their eyes off the road to use their devices. Additionally, they report that there were 29 deaths in Great Britain during 2018 due to accidents where drivers were using a mobile device.

Are you glad that the new cameras are being placed over the roads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and send links on social media so that people can get involved in the discussion.