$1000 for touching your phone: New penalties for driving while distracted
West Australian drivers caught reading or sending a text message, emailing, checking social media or watching videos while behind the wheel from Tuesday could face a $1000 fine and loss of four demerit points.
Tough new penalties to stop drivers using their mobile phones come into effect on September 1.
Touching or holding a mobile to make a call will incur a $500 fine and loss of three demerit points.
New penalties apply from Tuesday.Credit:Darrian Traynor
The new rules come as a survey of more than 400 RAC drivers revealed 97 per cent had seen other drivers distracted by phones, and 87 per cent supported the increased penalties.
RAC general manager corporate affairs Will Golsby said it took an average of five seconds to read a text message, but a split second to change a life forever.
“As a leading factor in deaths and serious injuries on WA roads, distracted driving is one of the most complex road safety challenges we face,” Mr Golsby said.
“Whether it’s making a call, using an app or changing a song — anything that takes your attention off the road ahead is putting yourself and others at risk.”
The RAC has released an online toolkit to help drivers quit the habit of checking their phone by training their brains.
Mr Golsby said distracted driving was not just a problem for younger generations, with research showing older and younger motorists checked social media while driving at a similar rate.