Canberra drivers will notice up to five mobile phone detection cameras on ACT roads from today, but the government says no fines will be issued until later this year.
Once the fines come into effect, Canberrans who use their mobile phones while driving face losing three demerit points and being fined $498.
Transport Canberra and City Services deputy director Ben McHugh said the cameras used the same technology as devices that were already pinging interstate motorists, including across the border in Queanbeyan.
"They're a trailer that parks beside the road that looks like one of those variable message signs but they have a flagpole that comes up and some cameras that sit at the top of the pole to look down over the road," Mr McHugh described.
"The cameras use artificial intelligence and a really clever algorithm that can detect the difference between types of devices and where they're sitting: in your hand, between your ear and your shoulder or resting on your knee."
The government said offending drivers would not receive warning letters until the middle of the year, with fines to start about October.
What happens if AI gets it wrong?
Mr McHugh said the AI's assessment of the footage was only the first step in determining whether a driver was illegally using a mobile phone.
"If an offence is detected [by AI], the image is then given to a human to validate and that image is passed onto the government to be considered in our adjudication and infringement processes."
He said he also had no concerns about the security of the data, adding that information was stored on the cameras and only shared with the ACT government if there was an offence.
"If there's no offence detected, the data is deleted within a matter of seconds," he said.
"There's a highly secure cloud-based network where the contractor, who we've secured to manage this process for us, will then share it with the ACT government in a secure way."
Can I use my phone while driving if it's in a holder?
Mr McHugh said safely using a mobile phone in a holder while driving would remain legal in the ACT, acknowledging that people needed devices for communicating and navigating.
"If you've got your phone in a cradle, that's absolutely fine," he said.
According to the government, the AI was trained to differentiate between phones sitting in holders and those that were being held or in a driver's lap.
He clarified that there would be no offence for road users who rely on CB and two-way radios, such as truck drivers.
Mr McHugh said he believed the cameras were a necessary addition to ACT roads after a number of crashes and road fatalities in 2022.
"We know that driver distraction — if you look away from the road for just two-seconds — will double your chances of having a crash," he said.
"So the cameras will form part of a behaviour change program and that comes with an awareness campaign."
Canberra drivers should not expect to be warned when they are approaching the cameras, as the government said it only planned to erect signs in other locations to inform people the devices are in operation in the ACT.
