Major trend among drivers after mobile cameras generate millions in fines

Yahoo

a day ago

Drivers in their late 20s to early 30s have emerged as the biggest mobile phone offenders in the country's most populous state. The latest data shows the cohort is far worse than their younger counterparts.
A Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) spokesman confirmed to Yahoo that motorists aged between 26 and 35 are being caught on roadside mobile detection cameras at a significantly higher rate than those in other age brackets.
They received a whopping 84,000 fines in 2023 and 2024, a jump up from the next group of offenders — 36 to 45-year-olds — who received 77,000 in the same two-year timespan.
While the overall number of drivers penalised has decreased since the introduction of mobile detection cameras in the state just over five years ago, hundreds of thousands of motorists continue to get caught out.
Forty-six to 55-year-olds copped 57,000 fines in the same timeframe, while the youngest group on the roads, motorists aged 17 to 25, received just 41,000.
Mobile phone penalties plunge as drivers become aware
Before mobile phone detection cameras were rolled out in NSW in 2020, distracted driving was clearly far more common on the state's roads. In 2019, around one in every 82 drivers was caught using their phone behind the wheel. But now, that figure has dropped dramatically, closer to one in every 1,084 drivers.
There are dozens of fixed and portable cameras currently operating across NSW, recording offenders who are caught scrolling, texting or taking calls without a hands-free setup.
The consequences are steep. Getting caught will cost drivers $423 and five demerit points — enough to push many close to suspension. The penalties are even harsher during double demerit periods, when the point count doubles.
Authorities argue the steep decline in offences is proof that the cameras are working as a deterrent, as safety advocates warn that even a single moment of distraction behind the wheel can be deadly.
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NSW's most-fined road revealed
Earlier this week, it was revealed that just a year after a new set of speed cameras were switched on to enforcement mode inside a notorious inner city tunnel, over 20,000 drivers have been caught speeding — generating almost $5 million in fines.
According to TfNSW data, analysed by the state opposition, motorists in Sydney continue to get penalised by speed cameras at the Rozelle Interchange, in the city's inner west, more than at any other spot in the state. The cameras only began issuing fines last year, but since then, the westbound cameras have detected more than 21,000 speeding drivers, generating $4.6 million in fines.
It's all part of a wider trend, with the state's total fine revenue hitting $414 million last financial year, marking a 25 per cent rise on the year before. The figures showed that high-earning hotspots include the NorthConnex tunnel at Normanhurst (southbound) — bringing in $4.7 million — and the WestConnex tunnel at Newtown (southbound), with speeding fines totalling $4 million.
While the numbers seem eye-watering, TfNSW said there are signs of improvement. At one point, a quarter of drivers in the Rozelle Interchange were caught speeding, but now it's dropped to one in 40.
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