BAYSIDE police detected 27 drivers using mobile phones during the first days of Operation Distrait in Bayside and Glen Eira this week.
In the operation, which will run from August to October, police will target distracted drivers and vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
They will particularly look out for mobile phone users and speedsters, including low-level speeders, with a view to reducing road trauma.
The TAC funded operation will focus on shopping strips in Brighton, Carnegie, Elsternwick and Bentleigh – where last week 73 infringement notices were issued for a variety of offences. Drivers not wearing seat belts, pedestrians disobeying crossing lights, and cyclists not wearing helmets, will be caught and fined, they say.
Acting Sergeant Mitch Hawley said it was disappointing to see that drivers are not getting the message about road safety. “Using mobile phones while driving is a major distraction,” he said. “If you do the wrong thing while driving, we will catch you.”
Bayside Police Sergeant Lisa Prince said overt and covert police would be “out in force to detect and enforce the road rules and promote a safer driving culture.
“While most drivers take their safety responsibilities very seriously, we will be targeting those who don’t,” she said.
“People may not realise that cyclists can be charged with using mobile phones while riding. This is not a penalty-notice offence. A brief of evidence will be compiled and the offending cyclist will have to attend court.
“This is relevant even if a cyclist is using a mobile phone to play music. Cyclists are just as vulnerable as motorists, possibly even more so.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 19 August 2015
