Six new “cutting-edge” safety camera trailers that can detect drivers using their mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt are set to commence operations across the state in 2025, aiming to tackle dangerous driving behaviours.
Described as the most advanced in the country, the safety cameras will have the ability to detect multiple offences simultaneously, including drivers using mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts or speeding.
A caution period will apply as the new safety camera technology is rolled out, with drivers detected committing mobile phone or seatbelt offences receiving a caution notice from January 26.
The caution notice will outline the capabilities of the new technology, aimed at encouraging recipients to amend their dangerous driving behaviour before enforcement begins.
The new cameras are part of the State Government’s efforts to reduce road trauma by 50-70 per cent by 2030.
In 2022, the WA Road Safety Commission trialled the cameras for six months, which detected 66,000 drivers in WA using their phones.
According to Road Safety Minister David Michael, a more recent trial conducted earlier this year along the Kwinana Freeway identified 24,000 people using their phones and 20,000 not wearing seatbelts.
Road Safety Minister David Michael said the government is cracking down on those flouting the law with new ‘anywhere, anytime’ high-tech safety cameras.
“Western Australian drivers need to realise it is only a matter of time before they are caught and fined for driving distracted or not wearing a seatbelt,” he said.
“In the context of the road toll, now is the time for this new technology to become a vital and permanent road safety tool to be used right across the State.”
Sadly, 186 people lost their lives on WA roads last year, marking the highest number of fatalities since 2016, with 107 deaths on regional roads and 79 on metropolitan roads.
In addition to the six cameras set to be rolled out over the next six months, upgrades will also be made to fixed cameras at two sites on the Kwinana Freeway.
The safety camera program is being funded by the Road Trauma Trust Account, which sees all traffic infringement revenue, like speeding fines, allocated to initiatives aimed at reducing road injuries and fatalities in WA.
