Mobile phone detection cameras go live in Queensland, Victoria this week

Mobile phone detection cameras will go live in Queensland and Victoria this week in a bid to lower the number of accidents caused by people using their phones.

Cameras are already being used in NSW, with thousands of fines dished out to drivers caught doing the wrong thing.

Victoria and Queensland will begin with just two cameras each, but they are transferrable and can be moved to several locations, including mobile towers, overhead signs and bridges.

READ MORE: NSW mobile phone cameras rake in $7 million in one month

"The trial – which begins this Wednesday, 29 July – will ensure the technology operates accurately and is appropriate for use on Victorian roads before a potential rollout," a Victoria Roads statement read.

"Texting, browsing and emailing increase the crash risk even further – up to 10 times."

Drivers won't be pre-warned where the devices will turn up and they can detect cars travelling across multiple lanes, in bad weather and at any time of day.

Like NSW, both states will begin with a grace period with those caught using a phone will receive a warning letter in the mail.

The Victoria cameras will be trialled for three-months, however the Queensland trial will run until at least the end of the year.

Once the grace period is finished, Victoria drivers will cop a $496 fine and four demerit points.

Queensland drivers face a steeper $1000 fine and four demerit points.

There is no word yet on other states or territories implementing the cameras.

READ MORE: Mobile phone detection cameras sting thousands in NSW

How the technology works

The technology was developed in Australia and can automatically differentiate between mobile phones and other items in a driver's or passenger's hand.

Captured images are then subjected to a human check, before the warning letter or fine is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.

When the NSW cameras went live last November, more than 21,000 drivers were stung for mobile phone offences in the first two months after the warning period.

Like in NSW, the new cameras in Victoria and Queensland will also be able to detect people not wearing a seatbelt.

READ MORE: Hundreds of drivers taking mobile phone driving fines to court

NSW trial shows just how prevalent mobile phone use is on roads

Earlier last year, the NSW Government confirmed its trial of mobile phone detection cameras had been a huge success, with millions of cars scanned at the start of the year.

The trial ran between January and June 2019 and according to NSW Transport, 8.5 million vehicles were scanned.

Of those targeted, more than 100,000 drivers were sprung illegally using their mobile phone to make calls, send text messages and even check and update their social media accounts.

If those drivers were fined, this would have equated to almost $35 million in revenue for the state.