That’s how dangerous and expensive it is to use smartphones while driving
According to a DEKRA study from 2017, 55 percent of drivers use their smartphone at least occasionally while behind the wheel. Nationwide observations also showed that around seven percent of the more than 15,000 vehicles observed were distracted by a smartphone. “Studies and estimates from Germany and the USA assume that one in ten fatalities in traffic is now caused by the issue of distraction. That corresponds to around 320 fatalities in Germany every year,” the study says.
However, using a smartphone while driving is not only dangerous, it can also be expensive. If you are caught doing so, the violation of the StVO will cost you a fine of 100 euros and you will receive a point in Flensburg. If there is a risk (150 euros) or property damage (200 euros) as a result of the violation, you receive two points in Flensburg and an additional one-month driving ban.
Pilot project with new camera system
As the Rhineland-Palatinate police explained in a corresponding statement, just a quick glance at the smartphone for a second at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour covers a distance of around 30 meters in blind flight. It is impossible to react to traffic or obstacles. To counteract the use of smartphones while driving, the police want to use a new camera system. In this pilot project, so-called MONOcams are to be tested for six months on roads in Rhineland-Palatinate. “The Rhineland-Palatinate police have entered into a cooperation with the Dutch police on the basis of the common European idea and the association of European traffic police forces. The MONOcam system, which the Dutch police are already using, will be used in Rhineland-Palatinate for the next six months tested on roads,” the statement said.
This is how the MONOcam works
As Merkur explains, citing Dutch police officer Marcel Masselink, the camera system was developed in collaboration between the Dutch police and the University of Utrecht. In the Netherlands, 20 of these systems, each costing around 20,000 euros, are said to be in use. But how do these camera systems work?
Consisting of a camera and laptop connected to an undercover police car, the system films oncoming traffic. If the camera detects a certain hand position on the part of a driver, the image is transmitted to the officials via a live stream. Trained police officers can then determine on site whether the recorded event is a violation or not. If the image does not show clearly enough that it is a violation, so that it would not stand up in court, it will be deleted again. The aim of the project is to be able to catch smartphone users with direct evidence and thus reduce the number of accidents and road deaths and injuries.
E. Schmal / Editor finanzen.net
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