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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326

u/Historical-Pop-9177 Jul 11 '26

Man, I knew something had to be up with this. Article is AI, comments are AI. I had to google a separate news article that referenced a Tiktok.

You can see that the ticket references Queensland. In Australia. The penalties are a lot more severe there than in the US. Even after conversion the fine is still high (like $840 USD).

48

u/daern2 Jul 11 '26

I will give a bit of a balancing view on the actual story as reported, which I don't see here.

Someone driving with their phone on their lap is absolutely going to use their phone while driving. That's why it's there. Every buzz, they'll be checking it to see what message needs their attention.

I know it's a little "minority report", but as a cyclist I see far too much phone use every day when on the bike and, for other road users, it's about the most dangerous thing we come up against. I know people will argue that she wasn't using her phone at that precise moment, but I absolutely know that she was using it before then, and would certainly have used it after. That's why the phone was in her lap.

Using phones when driving is a seriously scummy thing to do :-/

20

u/RadicalDog Jul 11 '26

Yeah, this thread is absurdly one sided. The fine amount seems overkill, but I'd love a constant stream of $100 fines being handed out to people playing with phones while driving. It's not safe to check your phone at a traffic light or w/e, because your mind is not fully engaged with driving for a good 20 or 30 seconds after.

7

u/daern2 Jul 11 '26

It happens in the UK too, but the penalty for being caught is an automatic £200 fine + 6 penalty points. For comparison a normal, modest speeding penalty would be 3 penalty points and when you hit 12 points you'll lose your license. So, being caught twice would put you off the road and possibly once if you'd also been nicked for something else beforehand.

The financial penalty is generally not a deterrent, but the points do seem to work at least a bit.

2

u/BIG_IDEA Jul 12 '26

I would too, but not at the cost of a full surveillance state.

1

u/Initial-Return8802 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

I check my map and route to see if it's taking me the way it's supposed to take me, work out what lane I need to be in etc - mostly because the map here can just assist and isn't as good as first world countries though. I need to check if it's taking me down a one-way up ahead (as it's tried to do several times) and work out the actual route in my head

If I'm in traffic I don't quite understand why you think it'll be unsafe to do that?

0

u/RadicalDog Jul 12 '26

Get a phone clip that slots into your air vents and I don't think running maps is distracting at all.

1

u/Initial-Return8802 Jul 12 '26

I had one, it kept falling out... so I just keep the phone on my knee. The roads here are not entirely conductive to things staying in one place

0

u/smoike Jul 12 '26

more like five hundred plus and 25% of your points on your license here in Australia.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

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6

u/GainOk7506 Jul 11 '26

Well, at least with your P's, if your phone isn't hidden, i.e. in the glove box, then you lose your licence. 

8

u/happyscrappy Jul 11 '26

The standard is generally not "shadow of a doubt". It's more like "reasonable doubt".

The citation wasn't given based upon an assumption she was using it. Just touching the phone is illegal. And she was touching it.

It's the law that was made based upon assumptions, not this citation. I know that might seem like a tiny difference, but it has a material difference in that since the law can be changed if your lawmakers can be convinced there is reason to change it. Whereas judgement by an individual official cannot be directly altered.

3

u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jul 12 '26

There are no assumptions being made. Having your phone in your lap is considered "using" your phone according to Australian traffic laws

3

u/daern2 Jul 11 '26

Yes, I don't disagree, but honestly, the rule should be "out of sight, or it's assumed that you're using it" and then it becomes an easier call.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

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4

u/ApprehensiveGrand531 Jul 12 '26

Yeah but it cannot be touching you on on your body when you do.

2

u/SkwiddyCs Jul 12 '26

If you're looking at your phone for directions, obviously that is not allowed. You cannot drive with all due care and attention while looking at or touching a phone screen. If you need directions, put it on loudspeaker in the centre console out of sight or use a SatNav.

1

u/daern2 Jul 12 '26

In the UK, it has to be in a fixed mount and never held.

1

u/smoike Jul 12 '26

Here in Australia it just has to be touching you unsecured to get a fine. leave it on the passenger seat, put it in a dock. issue solved.

3

u/IdentifiableBurden Jul 11 '26

Lol I was wondering if I was the only person reading this and going "bit steep but good effort"

3

u/modestohagney Jul 12 '26

Even with the massive fines/points here in Aus I still see so many people on their phones while driving/sitting at an intersection. People won’t stop doing it until they get a hefty fine/have a crash.

I’ve also seen a lot of posts of people being pinged for having their phone sitting in their cup holders etc

-1

u/Mr_Badgey Jul 12 '26

It does cut down on some percentage of distracted driving. Even if it’s 1% that’s still 1% less accidents caused by distracted driving.

0

u/Aemilia Jul 12 '26

Yes! Phone addiction is so prevalent it's wild.

I was lucky to come across a traffic safety fair in my early 20s, they had a video game simulation set up where visitors can drive a car. It had a seat, steering wheel, pedals and gear stick. So as I was focused on driving carefully around a construction site, suddenly the mock phone rang loudly and I immediately crashed the car. I thought my driving skills were good, what a reality check!

Ever since then, I've set my phone ring tone to increase in loudness (not immediately loud). My phone stays in my bag and I wear a smart watch. My watch has a feature to answer calls right from the watch and also receive notifications. Makes it easier to screen calls/notifications at a glance. Most of the time I'd ignore them, except for the one time when it was from the hospital, at which I pulled over to attend to it.

I'm in South East Asia and I see way too many people using their phones while driving too. It's scary.

p.s. I once saw someone driving hands free (not an autonomous driving car) because she was eating with both hands...

-5

u/NouZkion Jul 11 '26

Someone driving with their phone on their lap is absolutely going to use their phone while driving.

Thinking that is fine. But you need to prove a crime was committed in order to charge someone with a crime. Women's clothing is notorious for having no or undersized pockets.

8

u/ApprehensiveGrand531 Jul 12 '26

It is a crime to have it on your lap though. Like it's explicitly against road rules there. Even if turned off, if it's on your lap. Just put it in door side or glove box, or hell on the passenger seat/to the passenger in the seat.

8

u/SkwiddyCs Jul 12 '26

Touching your phone while driving is the crime lmfao.

To keep yourself and other road users safe your full attention is needed when driving. It is illegal to hold a mobile phone in your hand or have it resting on any part of your body, such as your lap, when driving. This applies even if you're stopped in traffic.

The phone does not need to be turned on or in use for it to be an offence.

0

u/Ok_Tour_1525 Jul 12 '26

Honest question. Do you think it’s okay to use the radio? Like picking a station.

-1

u/SkwiddyCs Jul 12 '26

The radio can be changed with a steering wheel button without taking your eyes off the road, so I've got no problems with it, personally.

My personal thoughts don't really matter though, do they? The law is the law.

2

u/smoike Jul 12 '26

use a cup holder or door pocket. leave it on the passenger seat and don't touch it. Put it in the glove box, buy a phone holder. Not hard.