Road safety board urges cameras to catch drivers using phones

Austria’s Road Safety Board is calling for cameras that can detect drivers using mobile phones, saying distraction is the country’s leading cause of crashes. ORF reported that similar devices, some using artificial intelligence, are already operating in several European countries.

The board says distraction is linked to a quarter of Austria’s roughly 400 road deaths each year. In Germany’s state of Rhineland-Palatinate, cameras that detect phone use are already in operation.

Privacy rules currently pose legal obstacles in Austria, said Armin Kaltenegger of the Road Safety Board. He said an amendment to the Road Traffic Act would be needed, but argued that comparable rules already apply to speed and distance cameras.

Police support considering expanded monitoring. Klaus Scherleitner, head of the provincial traffic department, said a higher chance of detection and stronger evidence could deter offences. The infrastructure ministry also said new approaches should be examined, particularly in areas with high crash rates or specific safety risks. It stressed that measures must be proportionate and that images must provide legally sound proof of an offence.

Existing laser speed cameras can already capture drivers using phones or not wearing seat belts, but only when they are also speeding. Officers review each image, obscuring passengers for privacy reasons. If they identify phone use or failure to wear a seat belt, they can issue a citation.

According to the provincial police directorate, radar and laser cameras photographed 770,000 speeding drivers in Upper Austria last year. More than 15,000 drivers were also cited for using a phone while driving or not wearing a seat belt. ASFINAG has upgraded 20 speed-measuring devices on Upper Austria’s motorways and expressways in the past four years. Nationwide, 60 of the newer devices have been installed, with another 60 planned.