The New South Wales state government in December 2018 kicked off a pilot to use cameras packed with AI to detect if you were using your mobile phone while driving. The pilot followed a trial that apparently captured 11,000 Sydneysiders using a phone illegally. The pilot was a success, at least according to the state government, with the phone detection cameras becoming fixed the following year, with fines issued from March 2020.
2018 to 2020 is a decent chunk of time. Time enough, you’d assume, for them to be foolproof. Fast forward to August 2023 and they’re proving to be quite useless at deciding between a phone and a vape, or even a coffee. But that hasn’t stopped Transport for NSW from issuing fines to people who, in photos seen by Gizmodo Australia (and probably many of you), do not at all appear to be using their phone.
While you can appeal the fine, there’s a decent chunk of time between when you’ve allegedly used your mobile phone to when you get the letter in the mail, time enough, you could say, to forget what you were actually holding and therefore just pay the fine out of convenience.
You can, of course, appeal the fine, but….it should never be issued in the first place if the thing in your hand is clearly not a phone.
If we’ve learned anything from the Robodebt saga, it’s that we should probably (definitely) wait until the tech is ready before unleashing it onto the people.
Gizmodo Australia asked Transport for NSW (TfNSW) a handful of questions, one around human intervention – I thought, fair enough, use tech, but check it with a person because it’s clearly messing this up on its own. The answer?
“While on occasion the mobile phone detection cameras have incorrectly detected items which were not mobile phones, these types of incidents are rare,” said Sally Webb, TfNSW deputy secretary of safety, environment and regulation, in an email to Gizmodo Australia.
“The artificial intelligence software automatically reviews images and detects potential offences. If a possible offence is detected, it then proceeds to human review before a fine will be issued.”
Of course, it goes without saying, you shouldn’t be using your phone while driving – it’s the use of AI to dish out fines we take issue with.
The cameras are delivered by Australian firm Acusensus. Based in Melbourne, the company operates all of the fixed cameras in NSW. While the exact number of fixed mobile phone detection cameras is not disclosed, TfNSW said previously it aimed to have 45 in place by 2022-2023. I also asked why the cameras were so bad at detecting the one thing they’re meant to be detecting, but TfNSW’s response was the one block statement, which, in addition to the above, included:
“If a motorist believes they have been incorrectly infringed, they can ask Revenue NSW to review the fine. If Revenue NSW decides the fine should stand, the person may elect to have the matter dealt with in court,” the statement attributed to Webb continued.
The penalty for being caught by mobile phone detection cameras in NSW is five demerit points and a $362 fine, upped to $481 if you’re caught in a school zone. The penalty increases to 10 demerit points during double-demerit periods, from a licence maximum of 12.
So we’re not talking $150 and on your way. Smells a lot like Robodebt to me. Tech should be perfect before being unleashed onto the public, at the very least, there should be human intervention before fines of this magnitude are handed out wrongly.
Anyway, if you got a fine and the photo clearly shows you not holding your phone in your hand, contest it. Absolutely spam them with contest letters so they can realise there may be many places where AI is useful, just not yet and not in this way.