Tasmania’s road safety cameras expose drivers without seatbelts, using mobile phones | Photos

New road safety cameras have exposed shocking behaviour by Tassie motorists, including those driving without seatbelts and even using both hands to text while on the highway. 📸 GALLERY: Some of our worst offenders >

Images from new mobile traffic cameras which can detect speeding, mobile phone use and seatbelt offences.

A test of new road safety cameras has revealed shocking behaviour by Tassie motorists, including some not wearing seatbelts while using their phones and even travelling with their hands off the steering wheel.

The government has announced a new blitz on dangerous driving as the state’s road toll soars with new high-tech cameras that can spot a wide range of bad behaviour day and night.

Road Safety Advistory Council Scott Tilyard says some of the incidents detected on the Brooker Highway during the recent trial were difficult to fathom.

“It is hard to believe that there are still people out there who don’t wear their seatbelts on our roads,” he said.

“I’m sure unfortunately, that they’re going to detect a lot of that sort of thing because each of us that use the roads every day see this sort of behaviour, particularly people using mobile phones, and the most dangerous aspect of that is the people who are texting, reading text messages, looking at social media, on their phones.”

A total of 51 people died on Tasmania’s roads in 2022, up from 35 the previous year. Another 263 people were seriously injured.

The number of fatal and serious crashes is up 30 per cent this year.

PHOTOS: Tassie’s new traffic cameras ping shocking drivers

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Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael Ferguson warned “if you’re not already obeying the law start now because you’re about to get caught, joining 18,000 people who have been caught breaking the law on the road since September”.

He said the new cameras were being rolled out statewide and were an unblinking eye on bad driving.

“They don’t flash, they just use night-vision imagery, so people have been caught using a mobile phone whether they’re holding it in their hand, whether they’re holding it up to their face, whether it’s down low, down near their lap,” he said.

“Using a mobile phone and being distracted is a factor in 24 per cent of deaths and serious injuries on Tasmanian roads.”

Mobile phone use while driving carries a $362 fine and the loss of three demerit points.

Mr Ferguson said one image in particular had caught his eye.

“I won’t call it my personal favourite, one that certainly caught my particular attention is this image here … you’ve got a person — an adult male — driving the motor vehicle clearly not wearing a seatbelt but the young child beside him got more sense than the adult and he’s wearing the seatbelt,” he said.

“It’s hard to believe that this is still something that we need to be talking about. I’m stunned to think that people still won’t wear a seatbelt while driving a motor car.”

The Road Safety Advisory Council on Friday launched its latest campaign under the catchline “Click. Store. Go.”

Ads reinforcing the messages will feature on radio, TV and digital media from this week.

Mr Tilyard said it was intended as a reminder to Tasmanian motorists to “always click on your seatbelt, store your phone and you’re good to go”.

“Evidence shows distraction caused by mobile phones can impair performance in a number of ways, notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals, ability to keep in the correct lane, shorter following distances, and an overall reduction in awareness of what is happening around you.”