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Advertiser, The (Adelaide); 05/06/2007
Drivers safe to use a mobile
Edition: 1 - State
Section: News, pg. 007
DRIVERS are now legally allowed to use hands-free mobile phones after
the State Government passed urgent new regulations late yesterday.
The Government was forced to make the amendments following widespread
confusion after the Supreme Court last week ruled using hands-free
phone devices was illegal.
But anyone who was caught since the ruling would still be considered
to have broken the law.
Road Safety Minister Carmel Zollo said people using their phones with
a cradle, blue tooth or an earpiece after midnight on Sunday
- when the backdated law came into effect - would not be penalised.
``The original intention of restricting mobile phone use in cars was
to stop people putting the phone to their ear or sending text
messages while driving,'' she said.
However, independent MP Bob Such said the confusion could have been
avoided.
He showed The Advertiser a letter written to the State Government
in January last year, questioning whether loopholes were covered.
Then-Police Minister Kevin Foley replied saying courts in South
Australia
had not yet defined the wording of the law but a broad interpretation
would be used.
Dr Such said he wanted the law clarified last year because of similar
confusion in Victoria.
``You should get people to look at the loopholes . . . before it gets
to a point where a person has to take it to court,'' he said.
``They have got the legal experts to check these things out.''
Truck driver Chris Sentance said he was concerned the Supreme Court's
interpretation of the law would significantly impact on his work.
``It would cost me anywhere up to an hour a day taking phone calls
then having to get back on the road again,'' he said.