More than 50,000 people have been snapped using their phones while driving in Auckland in the past two months alone.
On May 23, Waka Kotahi implemented a six-month trial with two cameras planted at three locations across Auckland. The cameras are able to detect when drivers are using phones or not wearing seatbelts.
Now just two months later Waka Kotahi revealed more than 50,000 people have been busted breaking the rules.
In total 50,333 people have been caught using their phones - an average of 800 per day or 1.14 percent of the total number of 4.4 million vehicles that have travelled through the camera sites in the first two months.
The seatbelt detecting function was only activated on July 23 and the data won't be available until next month.
Waka Kotahi director of land transport Kane Patena said the data will help officials understand the scale of the problem. Kiwis won't be fined for anything caught on the cameras during the trial.
"We know that driver distraction is a contributing factor in nearly eight percent of all crashes where someone is killed, and approximately 90 people a year are killed on our roads because they didn't wear a seatbelt," Patena said.
"However, the scale of actual distracted driving and seat belt non-compliance, in general, is mostly anecdotal.
"The purpose of this trial is twofold - to test the camera technology and ensure that it is capable of detecting offences, and to build on the evidence base to help us better understand the scale of illegal mobile phone use and non-wearing of seatbelts."
Patena said Waka Kotahi will analyse the data and publish a report once the trial is completed.
"We are only two months into the trial, and no detailed analysis has been completed on the raw data. Decisions on the future use of this technology will be made following the completion of the trial and a detailed analysis of the results," he said.
The initial data has been published on the Waka Kotahi website and will continue to be updated periodically during the trial period.
The cameras capture all vehicles moving through the site, detecting drivers whose hands are not both on the steering wheel of the vehicle and potentially otherwise occupied with a mobile
phone. From July 23, the cameras have also been detecting 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 captured are deleted within minutes at the camera site, and those where potential offences are detected are deleted within 48 hours.
Patena said because the trial is focused on gathering information, police aren't involved and no one will be fined for driving offences captured on the cameras.
