Reece Whitby urges drivers to use common sense to avoid fines after AI -captured images caught wild behaviour

Drivers should keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel to avoid being picked up for poor driving by new AI safety cameras set up around Perth. The cameras have picked up people eating meals, drinking hot coffees and grooming themselves — and while it’s not illegal — authorities say the behaviour is “ridiculous” and that drivers need to use more common sense. Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said behaviour such as eating a bowl of cereal with a spoon while driving would not pass the common sense test. Already more than 31,000 motorists have been caught in a month flouting the road rules by WA’s new AI safety cameras, resulting in fines worth $13 million. Since the cameras came online, more than 380,000 offences were spotted, resulting in 65,000 caution notices being issued. These included more than 12,000 infringements were given out for using a mobile phone, more than 10,000 for not wearing a seatbelt and more than 9000 for speeding. The cameras have captured disturbing images of drivers applying nail polish, clipping their fingernails, eating potato chips while using their mobile phones. One truckie — who was not wearing a seatbelt — was driving at 100km/hr on the freeway, with no hands on the steering wheel, while using a laptop and a mobile phone. Mr Whitby said drivers should have an idea of when they were breaking the rules. “Inherently we know when we don’t have proper control of the car, when we don’t have our hands on the wheel,” he said. “I mean clearly balancing a cereal bowl and feeding yourself with a spoon with no hands on the wheel, common sense tells you that’s not appropriate, but I do know that you might have a can of soft drink or a coffee in the car, police use discretion,” he said. Police would use their common sense and discretion when it came to deciding when to issue fines for distracted or careless driving identified by the cameras, Mr Whitby said. Cases picked up by the cameras were reviewed by two sets of human eyes, before infringement notices would be issued, he said. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told media some of the cases captured were “ridiculous”. “We know that people are on mobile phones or just totally distracted but we’re seeing people eating their breakfast, grooming themselves, just doing ridiculous things, driving a couple of ton vehicle at sometimes over 100km/h on the roads,” he told ABC Radio. “Pay attention, because if you get it wrong, or you don’t pay attention for a short amount of time, people die and I think that’s the sobering reality of what’s going on on our roads.” The infringement notices were issued between October 8 and November 8, after an eight-month grace period for the fixed and trailer mounted cameras came to an end. The high rate of notices shows the extent of distracted and careless driving in WA, and highlights a lack of general knowledge of what continues safe driving. Legally, any person who drives a motor vehicle without due care and attention commits an offence — and the road safety rules are clear about the illegality of speeding, touching a mobile phone, or texting or scrolling while your drive. It’s less clear than having a phone or a dog on your lap, or an arm hanging out of the window is an offence. And police have the discretion to charge drivers who are eating and drinking, wearing thongs, grooming themselves or have over-sized stickers in their windows, if the motorist gets pulled over or officers believe their behaviour has contributed to an accident. WA’s 134 page Drive Safe Handbook has plenty of information about rules on speeding, managing intersections, overtaking and not driving under the influence, but no specific information about what is allowed while drivers are sitting behind the steering wheel. Hugo Law Group Lawyer Jack Hudson said the bar for what could be considered careless driving was low. “It is important to note that the threshold for careless driving is set very low,” he said. “What I mean by that is, it is not difficult for the prosecution to actually prove conduct that fits the category of careless driving.” Mr Hudson said while unlikely, even drinking from a cup of coffee could get you in hot water. “I think most drivers would be relieved to know that they can still continue to sip their coffee while driving into work on a morning,” he said. “However, as soon as that sip of coffee takes the driver’s attention away from the road, even momentarily, then they are at risk of committing an offence.” RAC general manager Will Golsby said it was simple for drivers to know what is safe and unsafe driving. “Clearly there should not be any confusion of your task when you’re driving and if you’re also a passenger in the car as well,” he said. “You need to concentrate on the road ahead, because the decisions you’re making can affect your life, the people in the car with you, but also someone that’s simply trying to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing or riding a bike. “These are very simple tasks that we need to get much better at, and the warning signs are there, and it’s happening right across our roads.” Shadow road safety minister Julie Freeman said she’d like to see the funds raised from the infringements go in-part towards better education. “Maybe this extra revenue is an opportunity for a targeted campaign on what’s OK and what’s not OK behind the wheel of a car,” she said. “You would think that as part of everyone’s driver education. . . that most West Australian drivers would actually have a really good understanding of what they can and can’t do. “But perhaps that message hasn’t got through, and maybe this is a good opportunity to double down and make sure that clear driver education about what’s acceptable, what’s not acceptable, and what the consequences of getting it wrong can be.” Western Australia faces one of its worst road death toll in nearly a decade, with 176 deaths on the road since the start of the year. Of the deaths, 93 were in the regions while 83 were in the metropolitan area — a 10-year high. Mr Whitby said the Christmas period was a solemn reminder of the lives lost on the roads. “This Christmas there will be some West Australian families at the Christmas table with an empty chair, a person who would be there year after year, who’s not there anymore,” he said. “That must be gut wrenching for the families involved and our thoughts this Christmas I’m sure are with those families. “There’s far too many families missing loved ones this Christmas so please my appeal to everyone is this is a time when things can get dangerous on the roads as we’re keen to get to our holiday spots around Western Australia. “We’re in a worry, we’ve got other things on our mind but for goodness sake, please, please exercise caution, be responsible.”