Australia uses artificial intelligence to curb texting and driving

In a bid to reduce the number of people using their phones while driving, New South Wales road safety department is deploying cameras to prosecute rule-breakers and offenders.

As per a report by Economic Times, New South Wales Roads Minister Andrew Constance said that Australia's most populous state is the first jurisdiction in the world to use such technology to punish drivers distracted by social media, text messages or phone calls.

This is done by multiple tracking units. Each unit is equipped with two cameras. One photographs the car’s registration plate, while another camera with a high-set lens looks through the windscreen to capture the perpetrator’s actions. The government also intends to roll out 45 Mobile Phone Detection Cameras across Australia by December.

To make the system foolproof, the units use artificial intelligence to exclude drivers who are not touching their phones. The system then detects suspected illegal behaviour based on the movement of the human eyes and sends an infringement notice to the vehicle’s registered owner. The fine for this offence is 344 Australian dollars.

Australia has conducted a six-month trial of two fixed cameras which checked 8.5 million vehicles this year. The system detected more than 100,000 drivers with their hands on their phones, including one driver who was using a phone and iPad simultaneously.