New German traffic cameras will catch drivers holding phones

Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) has announced that special traffic cameras designed to spot drivers using mobile phones will be rolled out across Germany.

“Handy Blitzer” will be used across Germany

Until now, they have only punctuated the roads in Rhineland-Palatinate. But soon, so-called “Handy Blitzer” cameras will be installed along roads across all 16 federal states.

The cameras, also known as monocams, can detect whether drivers are using one hand to hold the steering wheel and the other to hold a mobile phone. Using a hands-free system or Bluetooth headset to take a call while driving is still allowed.

According to ADAC, the cameras will be installed on motorway bridges and angled to look directly down into windscreens. The cameras will take photos to analyse whether a driver’s hand position suggests they are holding a mobile phone.

If it is determined that the driver may be holding a mobile phone, the image is forwarded to police for further analysis. Drivers caught holding a mobile phone risk a fine of 100 euros and one point on their licence.

Drivers who endanger a person or property, or cause an accident while holding a mobile phone at the wheel risk fines of between 150 to 230 euros, two licence points and a one-month driving ban. 

According to Bilger, transport ministers decided on a nationwide “Handy Blitzer” rollout at the recent Conference of Transport Ministers in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria.

Phone distraction is more dangerous than drink driving

Bilger cited the increasing number of traffic accidents involving drivers looking at mobile phones as motivation for the nationwide Handy Blitzer rollout. Over 1.000 such cases are recorded annually.

According to a recent study by Allianz Accident Research, distraction from driving caused by mobile phones is more dangerous than previously thought, and indeed more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol.

Researchers previously thought that one in 10 driving accidents were linked to distraction; they now conclude that, in fact, one in three accidents are linked to distraction.

Using a simulation, researchers tested the reaction time of attentive drivers, drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0,8 per mille and drivers distracted by a secondary activity. 

They found that when the simulation showed a child suddenly running into the road, attentive drivers were at risk of an accident in 3,9 percent of cases, drivers under the influence in 6,2 percent of cases and distracted drivers in 11,2 percent of cases.

According to Allianz, drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0,8 per mille performed better in all tested situations, even though their reaction times were already significantly impaired.