Could cell phone detection cameras come to NJ highways?

Municipalities’ love affair with red light cameras came and went. Now New Jersey is fascinated with the idea of cameras on school buses and smart parking meters that instantly tickets the car by snapping a picture of a license plate. Enforcement through video technology is nothing new in the Garden State. Don’t think so? Try running a toll and see how they find you.

Now there’s a new technology being tried out in Australia to catch drivers on cell phones. According to CNN, fixed and mobile mounted cameras will use artificial intelligence to figure out who is using a cell phone while driving. In a trial earlier this year 100,000 drivers were easily caught. Just like here, fines will range in the hundreds of dollars.

Speaking of here, it seems like only a matter of time before this type of enforcement hits our shores. The problem of distracted driving is enormous and unlike red light cameras, people’s disdain for cell phone-distracted drivers in NJ will likely result in the public embracing this solution. In Australia 80% are in favor of the program, which went into effect Sunday December 1st.

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