World’s First Mobile Phone Detection Camera Program New South Wales

Acusensus worked with Transport for NSW to meet rigorous government, legal and community requirements. The Acusensus solution was shortlisted and then selected for extensive capability testing.

In the years before the mobile phone enforcement camera program commenced in New South Wales, each year around 350 lives were lost and 11,000 people were seriously injured in road crashes – at a cost to the community of around $8 billion. The current New South Wales Government road safety target is a 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2030 (<165 deaths per annum) and zero serious road trauma by 2050. The Mobile Phone Detection Program implemented by Transport for NSW is a key initiative by the New South Wales Government to target reducing road fatalities and serious injuries. 

Acusensus worked with Transport for NSW to meet rigorous government, legal and community requirements. The Acusensus solution was shortlisted and then selected for extensive capability testing. A non-enforcing pilot checked millions of vehicles, proving the performance of both fixed and trailer-mounted Heads-Up solutions. 

Prior to awarding the MPDC Contract to Acusensus, Transport for NSW undertook extensive consultation with the New South Wales Privacy Commissioner to ensure the product’s compliance with its privacy requirements. 

The technology in New South Wales began operating on 1 December 2019, with warning letters issued instead of fines for the first three months of the contract term. After six months of operation, the rate of offences fell steadily to 0.3% compared with a rate of 1.2% from the January 2019 pilot.2 

The program has been expanded over the past three years with Transport for NSW’s target to have the cameras conduct more than 135 million annual vehicle checks by 2022-23 from 45 camera systems.

1. https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/mobilephones/technology.html.
2.https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/mobile-phone-traffic-cameras-detect-tens-of-thousands-during-covid19/news-story/ 9eddbde067234bb20dc236faa87a04b8.