A common concern amongst rideshare drivers and food delivery bike riders is whether they risk penalties if they use their mobile phones to accept new bookings while driving.
Since Victoria Police views the use of mobile phones as a “key cause of road trauma”, using a mobile phone while a vehicle is moving, is an illegal practice. It, hence, attracts a whopping fine of $496 and four demerit points.
A Victoria Police spokesperson told SBS Punjabi that if a vehicle is in motion, a driver can only accept a new booking on an “approved dispatch device”.
“It must be separate from a mobile phone, like you’d see in a taxi,” she said.
Usually, drivers who work with rideshare services like Uber, Ola and DiDi use their mobile phones to accept bookings, instead of separate devices which are used by taxi drivers who operate under services like 13 Cabs and Silvertop Taxis.
Where do rideshare drivers stand in this case?
Answering this query, the Victoria Police spokesperson said, “In terms of a phone, they can only use this to accept jobs if the car is stationary and legally parked, i.e. not sitting idle in traffic."
An awareness campaign by Victoria Police is underway in the state these days, which specifically targets the use of mobile phones while driving.
“ ‘Operation Roadwise’, which is underway from December 13, 2019 to January 5, 2020, is a road policing operation that focuses on the key causes of road trauma, including mobile phone use and distraction. Mobile phones continue to be one of the biggest distractions for drivers. Their use while driving can attract a fine of $fine and four demerit points,” the spokesperson warned.
Source: AAP
According to Victoria Police, drivers – including taxi and rideshare drivers – do not need to turn off their car engines if using a mobile phone. However, the vehicle must not be moving and needs to be legally parked, not just stationary.
“This means drivers cannot use a phone while their vehicle is sitting still at an intersection or in a lane of traffic or a bicycle lane,” the spokesperson clarified.
“Full licence holders can use their phone to make a call, for navigational purposes or for audio while the vehicle is moving if it is secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle, or it does not require handling by the driver in any way,” the Victoria Po; spokesperson adds.
The state police, in a statement, said that more than 160 serious injury collisions involving a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist have occurred in Melbourne CBD so far this year, making up more than two-thirds of all serious injury collisions in the city.
That’s about one collision every two days that sees one of these vulnerable road users requiring hospitalisation for their injuries.
In an attempt to curtail traffic offences by food delivery service bikers, Victoria Police conducted an operation in Melbourne CBD and issued over 200 infringement notices in a single day.
‘Operation Mongoose’, conducted on November 27, led to 232 infringement notices being issued to food delivery riders.
Food delivery riders use bicycles, motorcycles, small motor-scooters and e-bikes to transport food to people’s homes and offices. Some popular brands offering such services are like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Menulog and Foodora.
A large number of such riders are international students, who may not be fully aware of Victoria’s traffic rules.
The offences of the 232 riders ranged from using a mobile phone while riding (fine of $496), disobeying traffic lights (which attracted a fine of $413), failing to have necessary equipment (fine $207), riding through Bourke Street Mall (fine of $165) and riding on a footpath where the rider’s age is beyond 12 years (fine $165) amongst others.
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