WA Mobile Phone Rules for Drivers

Lately noted increased police officers on motorbikes peeking into cars when stopped for red lights.

The fines are expensive at $400 And 3 demerits points for anything to do with a phone.

My mate got done for answering an emergency call while stopped at red light. He was on loud speaker. He is a doctor and he naturally went for it.

Spoke to an Uber driver who almost got done for accepting a job. The cop let him go however.

And I have heard many others getting swatted like flies…

Looks like another way to increase revenue.
In any case avoid hefty fines.

https://roadrules.rsc.wa.gov.au/road-rules/mobile-phones

Penalties
Using, touching or holding a mobile phone whilst driving = 3 demerit points and $400 fine.

Creating, sending or looking at a text message, video message, email or similar communication, whilst driving = 3 demerit points and $400 fine.

Touching/holding includes resting on any part of the driver’s body (e,g lap). It does not include held in a pocket of the driver’s clothing or in a pouch worn by the driver.

Driving includes being stationary with the motor running (e.g. waiting at stoplights, stopping roadside).

Whilst driving, you can only touch a mobile phone to receive and terminate a phone call if the phone is secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle. If the phone is not secured in a mounting, it can only be used to receive or terminate a phone call without touching it (e.g. using voice activation, a Bluetooth hands-free car kit, ear piece or headset).

Whilst driving, it is illegal to create, send or look at a text message, video message, email or similar communication, even when the phone is secured in a mounting or can be operated without touching it.

GPS may be used by a driver whilst driving if it is secured in a mounting and no touch of the keypad or screen is required.

Vehicle must be legally parked, with motor turned off, before a driver can legally hold a mobile phone.

Related Stores

rsc.wa.gov.au
rsc.wa.gov.au

Comments

  • +7

    I saw a young woman on her phone while stopped at a set of traffic lights.
    Someone near her used their horn and she took off without looking up from her phone into the back of a stationary truck while the lights were still red.

    She was trying to blame the driver of the car that used the horn for the accident and asking for their details She was getting angry when they refused and everyone was telling her she was at fault, she kept denying it saying if they hadn’t used the horn she wouldn’t of gone.

    I left not long after but she rang the police to attend.

  • +1

    my iphone is mounted to my dash vent using one of those magnet things. i was at a set of red lights and used siri to send an sms or play a song or something, so obviously the screen is all lit up and doing stuff when all of a sudden got "woop wooped" by an undercover toyota kluger next to me, thinking they just caught someone using their mobile phone. however they must have quickly realised i didnt use my hands, because they were on my lap the whole time (i dont get people who sit at lights tightly clutching the steering wheel the whole time).

    i believe in vic you can touch the screen of a mounted phone, if its for gps purposes. not for sms etc

  • -1

    The rules seem a bit ridiculous for phones which are mounted though.

    They should expand these rules to included not touching temperature control, fiddling with radio/cd player and opening/closing glovebox compartment because all these other actions seem to be in the same location and have the same distraction on the driver as a mounted phone.

    • have the same distraction on the driver as a mounted phone

      No, they don't. Smartphones and the apps you're using are designed to draw and retain your attention. The tech in your car is designed to do what you want with minimum interaction and to basically get out of your way.

      Adjusting the temperature in the car is more important and less distracting than your social media accounts.

  • +3

    Before driving:

    Step 1: store phone inside glove box / centre console storage

    Step 2: answer and make phone calls from bluetooth hands free

    Step 3: listen and reply to txt or msg using android auto / apple carplay voice command function if available, if not, this can wait.

    Summary: Hands dont touch phone. Eyes dont look at phone. At the lights, can have a cop staring right at you while talking to yourself and he would just keep moving.

    No demerit. $400 saved to buy more bargain deals :)

    Problem: the above is somehow very hard for people to comply, the reluctance is a bit like asking them to jump into a crocs invested pool!

    • Does anyone actually put their phone in the glove box or boot? So many people claim they do.
      I just leave the phone in my pocket, the car has Bluetooth for calls or I use Siri if I need to text someone which would be rare in the car.
      If I receive a text or message by an app I wait to I get to my destination before looking at it, if it is so important to get a reply quickly then ring me.

      • if your phone is mounted, and you recieve an sms, and you have it set to show a preview of the sms, you can quickly and easily see what the sms is about, without having to touch the phone. if its urgent, pull over and deal with it

        or just get siri to read the message, reply to the message or call the sender.

        voice technology is a wonderful thing.

  • It amazes me that people can't be bothered to get a $10 dash mount. You can use GPS, music controls and answer calls legally and safely with it. Also android auto will read out messages and let you reply by voice.

    But all that is too much trouble and people would rather get a $400 fine or risk killing someone.

  • What if the phone is being use for navigation, on a cradle, but suddenly there is text notification on top, it does stay for a few seconds right. Then the police can say you looked at the text even though you actually looked at the maps?

    • I think in that situation the police man turns out to be a zombie as the apocalypse just occurred.

  • Good bugger anyone who uses a mobile phone while driving. Suicide is fine. Taking others with you is not.

    • Use it for navigation is okay, everything else are not.

  • What about WhatsApp call (vedio or audio on a mounted device) if you started the call before you started driving. Is that legal? And this is in QLD?

  • "you can only touch a mobile phone to receive and terminate a phone call if the phone is secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle."

    Is this true for Victoria also?

    I've always been under the impression you can't touch the phone at all. But I've never figured out a way to get siri to answer the damn phone via voice activation

  • Should be $4000 imo. Then people won’t risk doing it either stopped at lights or on the move.

    Otherwise people will continue to do it.

  • How about this..

    Please take care, don't end up ordering the most expensive fast food of your life!

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/laws-banning-mobile-p…

    • Well that is just ridiculous, a blatant example of the cops caring more about revenue raising than road safety. I'm baffled how they can find someone in a drive-through anyway, isn't that private property?

      • Well that is just ridiculous, a blatant example of the cops caring more about revenue raising than road safety.

        You realise that cops don't write the laws right? They just enforce them…

        So even though it [a drive-through] is privately owned, it's still considered a public area because part of the business of the takeaway drive-through is that public cars come in and drive through and buy food

        • You realise that cops don't write the laws right? They just enforce them…

          I do, I also know that in general cops have some level of discretion when it comes to enforcing traffic laws.

          Why they'd choose to fine someone using their phone to pay for drive-through instead of someone texting in traffic is beyond me, unless they're doing it because it's easy and they're lazy and want to issue as many $ worth of fines as possible during their shift.

          • @barcer: Did the article say anything about someone actually been fined for it?

            "She added that she had never been approached for help by anyone who had been fined for using a phone in such a situation or, for that matter, in a public par park."

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