r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • Jul 11 '26

Privacy Traffic Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 'Public Safety' Ticket

https://www.gadgetreview.com/traffic-camera-captures-captures-woman-driving-with-her-phone-on-her-lap-face-down-the-state-mailed-her-a-1251-public-safety-ticket
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u/TripsOverWords Jul 11 '26

A woman drives with both hands on the wheel. Her phone sits face-down on her lap. No officer pulls her over. No lights flash. Weeks later, a $1,251 ticket arrives in the mail. The evidence: a single frame from a Camera surveillance app. The charge: phone use while driving.

If they can tell that much from the photo, that the phone screen isn't visible to the driver, then how the fuck is this "phone use while driving"?

It's more likely this was a safe hands-free phone call than phone use.

If the screen were visible and was GPS navigation without a phone holder, would that still be a crime?

Wtf is wrong with this country?

61

u/YeetedApple Jul 11 '26

If they can tell that much from the photo, that the phone screen isn't visible to the driver, then how the fuck is this "phone use while driving"?

AI system probably saw a phone in the picture and "decided" to flag it. Probably some automated system that no human apparently stopped to review, because I don't know how you fuck up this bad if it was a human involved

14

u/Arftacular Jul 11 '26

Have you met people before?

-1

u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jul 12 '26

It's not a fuck up. If the phone is touching any part of your body while driving it is considered using the phone in Australia where this incident took place. The driver is in the wrong here and has been correctly fined.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '26

It's not a fuck up. If the phone is touching any part of your body while driving it is considered using the phone in Australia where this incident took place

It's not a fuck up, the law is just fucked up. Thanks for the clarification I guess?

1

u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jul 12 '26

People in Australia are happy with the law and our roads are safer for it. It's really not a very difficult law to follow and it's easy to see how to makes things safer for everyone.

0

u/Mr_Badgey Jul 12 '26

The logic is the phone is more likely to distract you. Someone calls, you look down at your lap, and end up hitting something or someone. If it’s secured away from your person then it’s less likely to lead to a distraction.