Camera Phones

Driving Law Changes in Austrailia & New Zealand

The driving laws across Australia now see drivers having to put down their mobile phones whilst driving their cars. Although different states will have different implementations of the law, certain states, including Victoria, now see a marked change whereby phones need to be in a holder fixed in the car with calls being answered without the driver physically touching the phone in any way.

The actual wording of the legislation states that drivers “will only be able to use mobile phones if they are placed in purpose-made cradles and operation is entirely hands-free.”

This law therefore also extends to using the built in GPS systems within mobile phones and means you have to have a holder for your mobile if you want to use the GPS navigation features, for example.

In the Sate of Victoria, possible fines are AU$234 and the loss of 3 demerit points, however mobile accessory manufacturers have been quick to produce fixing cradles that should enable the legal use of phones.

A similar ban on talking and texting is in effect in New Zealand, but carries a lower fine of NZ$80.

Of course this is nothing new to drivers in the UK and many States in America where drivers have been used to reducing or eliminating the calls they make whilst in the car, and making those calls with the aid of a fully fitted car kit or hands free device. In the UK, the law can be seen to cover GPS, if the use of the device could lead to driving without due care or attention.

The idea of having to have the device fixed is however more draconian and as drafted, the Australian law prohibits hands free calling even with a hands free kit, if your phone is left on your lap, or connected with Bluetooth wireless technology to your hands free kit, but left in a coat pocket, for example.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 9:35 am and is filed under Camera Phone News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.