In short:
More than 30,000 Adelaide drivers have been snapped by new detection cameras using mobile phones illegally.
Police said 836 motorists were repeat offenders, with three drivers caught on 19 separate occasions.
What’s next?
Offending drivers will face a fine and demerit points from September 18, when the grace period ends.
Mobile phones, cats on laps, ice creams — these are just some of the distractions diverting Adelaide’s drivers’ attention off the road.
South Australian Police have delivered a stern warning after more than 30,000 drivers in a month were caught using their mobile phones behind the wheel.
Officer in Charge of SAPOL Traffic Support Branch Superintendent Darren Fielke said three of those drivers were caught 19 times in a month and would have faced a $12,500 fine each.
“That is three people who completely don’t care about what they are doing on the road … who are putting their own lives and the lives of other road users in jeopardy,” he said.
“To say that is shocking is an understatement.
“We need people to change their behaviour and change it now.”
The mobile phone detection cameras in five locations across metropolitan Adelaide captured 30,754 motorists using mobile phones while driving during the first month of the three-month grace period.
These drivers received a warning letter but would have been handed three demerit points and a $556 fine plus a $102 victims of crime levy if it was outside the grace period.
“Alarmingly, 836 of those drivers committed offences on more than four occasions and more than four occasions mean that they’re going to lose their licence,” Superintendent Fielke said.
“It’s irresponsible, it’s immature, it’s idiotic. People need to stop.”
Two drivers were caught 18 times, one on 16 occasions and four others on 15 separate incidents.
The grace period will end on September 18 but police urge road users to stop touching their mobile devices before fines start to kick in.
Superintendent Fielke said driver distraction played a part in 17 lives lost on South Australian roads this year.
“Now, we know that distraction is not always mobile phones, but it contributes significantly to that number,” he said.
“You’ve got a person holding an ice-cream, talking on a phone, driving the car with one hand.
“You’ll see some other photographs where someone’s got their pet cat on their lap and they’re using the phone.”
Police previously said computer artificial intelligence had been used to process images and to identify drivers using mobile phones illegally.
Superintendent Fielke said 97.5 per cent of the photos snapped by the cameras were “adjudicated” by humans before warning letters were sent.
“If there’s any doubt that a phone offence has been committed, they will not receive a fine or a warning letter,” he said.