A trial to understand the scale to which New Zealanders use their phones while driving will soon begin.
The six-month trial is a first for Aotearoa and begins on Tuesday and Waka Kotahi NZTA will use data from safety cameras at three different locations in Auckland. The same types of cameras are already in use in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The trial will initially capture only mobile phone use, with plans for the detection of people not wearing seatbelts to be enabled later during the trial period.
Director of Land Transport Kane Patena said driver distraction is a contributing factor in nearly 8 percent of all crashes where someone is killed, and approximately 90 people a year are killed on New Zealand roads because they didn't wear a seatbelt. However, the scale of actual distracted driving and seat belt non-compliance, in general, is mostly anecdotal.
"This trial provides an opportunity to accurately measure the scale of mobile phone use and people not wearing seatbelts, as well as test the camera technology, providing useful insight into these road safety issues," Patena said.
"A key part of Road to Zero, New Zealand's road safety strategy, involves supporting good road user choices, which includes encouraging people to not use their phones while driving and making sure everyone is correctly restrained."
Better evidence of distracted driving could help shape new initiatives to encourage people to make safer choices while driving.
"While no decisions have been made around the future use of this technology, we know we will gain valuable data which may be used to inform future decisions around interventions to address distracted driving and seat belt non-compliance," Patena said.
The cameras capture all vehicles moving through the site and will detect drivers whose hands are not both on the steering wheel of the vehicle and potentially otherwise occupied with a phone. The cameras will also detect whether the occupants are wearing a seatbelt.
To protect people's privacy, the face of the driver and any passengers are not included in the image and the number plate of the vehicle will be automatically blurred when an image is captured. Images where no offence is found are deleted within minutes at the camera site, and those where potential offences are detected are deleted within 48 hours.
Because the trial is focused on gathering information, and there is no Police involvement in the trial, Waka Kotahi said no enforcement action will be taken as a result of the trial. This means no warning letters, infringement notices or any other communication related to any violations detected by the relevant safety cameras will be sent.
A privacy impact assessment on the trial has been carried out and Waka Kotahi said it has been working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to address all privacy matters.
Findings will be published on the Waka Kotahi website following the trial.
