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Touching your mobile phone or smartwatch while driving could be barred completely, following a sweeping review by the country's overarching road rules authority.
The law currently allows drivers to touch their mobile phones to make or accept calls, put on music or use GPS while driving, as long as the phone is in a hands-free holder.
The National Transport Commission says road rules have not kept pace with technology. CREDIT: CHRIS HOPKINS
But the National Transport Commission wants to toughen up the road rules, warning that using those devices for any purpose could be distracting drivers and putting lives at risk.
The Australian Road Rules date back to 1999 and had not kept pace with technology, the commission said in an issues paper released recently.
This had left drivers confused about which devices they were allowed to use behind the wheel.
A driver illegally uses his mobile phone. CREDIT: KEN ROBERTSON
The RACV has thrown its support behind the review, warning that drivers do not understand basic rules regarding using mobiles while driving.
Even Victoria Police wrongly advised The Age that motorists could not touch their phones to make calls, even if the device is in a holder.
A spokesman changed this position after being referred to VicRoads’ official advice.
RACV safety and education manager Elvira Lazar said the rules on mobile phone use needed reform, warning that making calls while driving "can still be dangerous as [drivers'] eyes and attention are away from the road."
The commission found road-rule inconsistencies meant that mobile phones and visual display units were covered by the law, but other technologies such as smartwatches and Google Glass were not explicitly addressed.
(Under VicRoads' interpretation, smartwatches are legally classified as a mobile phone, which means they can be used to make calls if in a holder or if voice control is activated.)
The commission will investigate if it is safe to use GPS devices and hands-free mobile phones, with research finding these devices can be as distracting as using a hand-held phone.
Changes to the road rules would need to accommodate ride-share apps, it said.
An Uber driver speaking to The Age this month complained about being fined for illegally using his mobile phone to accept an Uber trip.
The commission’s director of safety and productivity, Mandi Mees, said the laws would become "technology-neutral", meaning distracting behaviours would be targeted rather than specific devices.
“We’re not ruling anything out or ruling anything in,” Ms Mees said.
“We’re doing a full scan of the whole ecosystem of devices so that we can develop a logic that is simple and easy for road users to rstand.”
The Council of Australian Governments' Transport Infrastructure Council, which includes transport ministers from all states and territories, ordered the review last year.
The commission will deliver its final recommendations in November next year, which must be approved by the transport ministers before becoming law.
VicRoads and Victoria Police are participating in the review.
Studies have found that drivers who look at their mobile phones while driving are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don't use their phones.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/...tougher-ban-on-phone-use-20190121-p50sly.html
The law currently allows drivers to touch their mobile phones to make or accept calls, put on music or use GPS while driving, as long as the phone is in a hands-free holder.
The National Transport Commission says road rules have not kept pace with technology. CREDIT: CHRIS HOPKINS
But the National Transport Commission wants to toughen up the road rules, warning that using those devices for any purpose could be distracting drivers and putting lives at risk.
The Australian Road Rules date back to 1999 and had not kept pace with technology, the commission said in an issues paper released recently.
This had left drivers confused about which devices they were allowed to use behind the wheel.
A driver illegally uses his mobile phone. CREDIT: KEN ROBERTSON
The RACV has thrown its support behind the review, warning that drivers do not understand basic rules regarding using mobiles while driving.
Even Victoria Police wrongly advised The Age that motorists could not touch their phones to make calls, even if the device is in a holder.
A spokesman changed this position after being referred to VicRoads’ official advice.
RACV safety and education manager Elvira Lazar said the rules on mobile phone use needed reform, warning that making calls while driving "can still be dangerous as [drivers'] eyes and attention are away from the road."
The commission found road-rule inconsistencies meant that mobile phones and visual display units were covered by the law, but other technologies such as smartwatches and Google Glass were not explicitly addressed.
(Under VicRoads' interpretation, smartwatches are legally classified as a mobile phone, which means they can be used to make calls if in a holder or if voice control is activated.)
The commission will investigate if it is safe to use GPS devices and hands-free mobile phones, with research finding these devices can be as distracting as using a hand-held phone.
Changes to the road rules would need to accommodate ride-share apps, it said.
An Uber driver speaking to The Age this month complained about being fined for illegally using his mobile phone to accept an Uber trip.
The commission’s director of safety and productivity, Mandi Mees, said the laws would become "technology-neutral", meaning distracting behaviours would be targeted rather than specific devices.
“We’re not ruling anything out or ruling anything in,” Ms Mees said.
“We’re doing a full scan of the whole ecosystem of devices so that we can develop a logic that is simple and easy for road users to rstand.”
The Council of Australian Governments' Transport Infrastructure Council, which includes transport ministers from all states and territories, ordered the review last year.
The commission will deliver its final recommendations in November next year, which must be approved by the transport ministers before becoming law.
VicRoads and Victoria Police are participating in the review.
Studies have found that drivers who look at their mobile phones while driving are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don't use their phones.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/...tougher-ban-on-phone-use-20190121-p50sly.html
