Where AI cameras are watching in Adelaide
Four fixed cameras are already operating across Adelaide, with two more switching on in mid-2026. Here are the exact roads, the data on which sites catch the most drivers, and what every Adelaide driver needs to know.
The cameras are already here
Since September 2024, South Australia Police has been issuing fines using AI-powered mobile phone detection cameras across metropolitan Adelaide. The locations were chosen by the University of Adelaide's Centre for Automotive Safety Research based on crash data and traffic volumes, and they've been running long enough now to produce some eye-opening numbers.
The current camera sites
As of May 2026, there are four active fixed sites, with two more under construction. Here's exactly where they are.
1. North–South Motorway, Regency Park (north bound) ★
Adelaide's worst offender. By the six-month mark, this single camera had detected over 12,000 offences. By December 2025 it had caught around 21,000 drivers.
If you drive the North–South Motorway northbound through Regency Park as part of your commute, treat it as a no-phone zone. This is where Adelaide drivers get caught more than anywhere else.
2. Port Wakefield Road, Gepps Cross
On the major northbound corridor out of Adelaide.
Long, fast road where drivers often glance at phones during slow-moving traffic queues. The camera doesn't care if you're crawling at 20 km/h.
3. Port Road, Hindmarsh
On the heavily-trafficked western approach into the city.
Catches a lot of inbound commuter traffic during the morning peak.
4. Southern Expressway, Darlington
On the major southern arterial, near the Darlington interchange.
High-speed corridor where the danger of distracted driving is highest. Drivers sometimes assume cameras only work in slow traffic. They don't.
What about the camera at South Road, Torrensville? It was operational from launch but was relocated in October 2025 to the North–South Motorway at Regency Park (north bound), due to construction work for the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project. Some older lists still mention it. It's no longer there.
Two more cameras coming mid-2026
In December 2025, the State Government confirmed the next two camera locations. Both are now under construction and scheduled to switch on by the middle of 2026.
5. North East Road, Valley View (coming mid-2026)
Major thoroughfare into Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs.
No three-month grace period this time. Fines from day one.
6. Payneham Road, Felixstow (coming mid-2026)
Major eastern approach to the city.
Same as Valley View: no grace period, fines start immediately when the camera goes live.
Beyond these two, the State Government has confirmed a stage-three rollout: another 15 cameras across six more locations. Sites haven't been announced yet, but SA Police and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport are working through the list now.
How the cameras actually work
The system uses high-resolution cameras mounted on existing digital variable message signs above the road. As vehicles pass underneath, multiple images are captured through the windscreen. AI software then analyses each image to flag drivers who appear to be using a mobile phone.
Here's the part most people don't realise: AI doesn't issue the fines. Every potential offence flagged by the AI is reviewed and validated by a SA Police officer before any expiation notice goes out. Images of drivers who weren't doing anything wrong are deleted rather than stored.
The technology comes from Australian company Acusensus, the same supplier used by NSW, Victoria and Queensland. There have been cases interstate where the AI has misidentified items like wallets as phones, which is exactly why a human reviews every flagged image before any fine is issued.
What gets you fined (for fully licensed drivers)
For drivers on a full licence, the rules are stricter than many realise. You cannot:
- Hold the phone in your hand for any reason, even briefly
- Rest the phone on your lap, the passenger seat, or any part of your body while the engine is on
- Touch the phone while stopped at a red light or in stationary traffic
Hands-free use through a commercially-designed mounted cradle, Bluetooth, or voice command is fine. The vehicle must be parked, with the engine off or at least stationary outside a traffic lane, before you can legally pick up the phone.
⚠️ Important warning for learners and P1 drivers
If you're on a Learner's Permit or P1 licence in South Australia, the rules are much stricter than for fully licensed drivers. You are banned from using ANY mobile phone function while driving, including:
- Hands-free mode
- Bluetooth (including for music, calls, or anything else)
- Loudspeaker
- GPS or navigation, even if the phone is in a mount and you never touch it
This is set out in Regulation 44 of the Road Traffic (Road Rules – Ancillary and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2014 (SA), and it applies the entire time you're driving.
You can make or receive calls only if the car is safely parked, meaning the engine is off or the car is stationary outside a traffic lane. Being stopped at a red light or in traffic does not count as parked.
For GPS guidance during lessons or solo P1 drives, ask your supervising driver to operate the phone, use the car's built-in navigation system if it has one, or plan and memorise your route before setting off.
What it can cost
Fine amounts in South Australia are set out in the SAPOL Expiable Offences and Fees schedule and are updated periodically, so figures can move over time. As a guide, a mobile phone offence currently runs to around $680 in total for an adult driver: the base fine (recently sitting in the $556 to $573 range depending on the exact offence) plus the Victims of Crime Levy (currently $105 for adults), along with 3 demerit points.
For fully licensed drivers, three demerit points is a warning shot. You have a buffer of 12 points before suspension. For learner and P1 drivers, the threshold is just 4 demerit points. A single phone offence wipes out three-quarters of your allowance, and the suspension period is six months, significantly longer than the three months that applies to fully licensed drivers.
If you're suspended as a learner or P-plater, you're not just off the road for a few months. You typically have to start parts of the licensing process over, which means more lessons, more fees, and a real delay before you're driving solo again. The fine itself stings; the lost time often costs much more.
Higher penalties for company-owned vehicles
If the vehicle that triggers the camera is registered to a business, and the company doesn't formally nominate the actual driver, the penalty climbs significantly. SAPOL's schedule for camera offences adds a body-corporate fee on top of the regular fine, meaning a company vehicle phone offence can run into the thousands rather than the hundreds.
For employees driving work vehicles: if you get caught, owning up and being nominated by your employer keeps the penalty at the standard driver rate. Hiding behind the company plate is more expensive for everyone.
A note on figures and double demerits
Two things worth being aware of when you read about fines online.
Fines change. The SAPOL fee schedule has been updated more than once since these cameras launched. Always check the current SAPOL Expiable Offences and Fees document (PD320A and PD320CAM) for the exact amount on the date you're reading.
Double demerits do not apply in South Australia. Unlike NSW, WA, ACT, and Queensland, South Australia does not double demerit points on long weekends or public holidays. Demerits stay flat year-round. So a Christmas Eve phone offence in SA carries the same demerit hit as a wet Tuesday in February. If you're driving interstate during a long weekend, though, double demerits may apply in those states.
How to set up your car before you start driving
The drivers getting caught are almost never deliberately ignoring the law. They're reacting to a notification, glancing at the GPS, or quickly skipping a song. The fix is to set everything up before you put the car in gear, so you never feel the urge to touch your phone mid-drive.
A simple routine before every lesson or trip:
- Plan your route in advance. Look at the map before you start. For learners and P1 drivers this is essential, because you can't use GPS while driving. Know the route, or have your supervisor navigate.
- For fully licensed drivers, mount the phone in a dashboard or windscreen cradle where you can see the screen without taking your eyes off the road. The cradle must be a commercially-designed phone holder, not balanced on a vent or sitting in a cupholder. Open your navigation app and enter the destination before you start the engine.
- Set music or podcasts to play automatically so you don't need to touch the phone mid-drive. For learners and P1 drivers, this needs to be set up before the engine is on, not via Bluetooth controls while driving.
- Silence non-essential notifications. Both iPhones and Android phones have a "Driving" or "Do Not Disturb" mode that turns on automatically when the phone connects to your car's Bluetooth, or that you can switch on manually before each trip. This removes the temptation to glance at messages.
- Tell people you're driving. If you're heading out and someone might call or message, send a quick "driving for the next 30 min" message before you start. You won't feel like you're missing something urgent.
If you genuinely need to use your phone mid-trip
There are situations where you really do need to take a call or check something. A sick family member, a work emergency, getting lost in an unfamiliar area. The law is clear: you must be parked, with the vehicle stationary outside a traffic lane. Engine off is safest.
That means:
- Not idling at the kerb in a no-stopping zone
- Not stopped at a red light or in stationary traffic
- Not parked in a driveway with the engine running and the car only just stopped
Know where the legal places to pull over are on routes you drive regularly. Side streets, car parks, service stations and rest areas are all fine. The shoulder of a main road is generally not, and on freeways or expressways, stopping is only permitted in genuine emergencies.
Habits that catch drivers out
A few specific situations come up again and again. Watch for these:
- Checking notifications at red lights. This is by far the most common reason drivers get caught. The car isn't moving, the urge to glance is strong, and the cameras don't care that you're stopped. If your engine is on, you can't touch the phone.
- Propping the phone up for navigation. A phone sitting on your lap or wedged between your legs to show the map is an offence for fully licensed drivers, even if you never touch it. The phone must be in a proper mount. For learners and P1 drivers, any phone-based navigation is off-limits entirely.
- Handing the phone to a passenger to use. Passing the phone is legal in itself, but the act of picking it up to hand over has caught drivers out. Set it up before you start, or have the passenger reach for it themselves.
- Scrolling music apps on the phone screen. If your phone is connected to the car via cable or Bluetooth and controlled through the car system, you're fine (if you're on a full licence). Scrolling Spotify on the actual phone screen while driving is not, even briefly. For learners and P1s, any music control via phone is off-limits while driving; set the playlist before you start.
- Quickly checking arrival ETAs on a long drive. Tempting after a couple of hours behind the wheel. Plan stops in advance, or pull over at a rest area.
What examiners look for on test day
The Vehicle On-Road Test isn't specifically testing for phone use, because they assume you won't be using a phone during the test, and they're right to. But examiners are watching for patterns that indicate good or poor habits.
What examiners want to see:
- Your phone silenced and stowed out of sight before the test begins
- No notification sounds going off during the drive
- Your full attention on the road, mirrors, and instructions, with no glancing at the dashboard for non-essential info
If your examiner sees that you have a well-organised car and have set everything up properly before driving, it sends a strong signal that you take this seriously. That kind of preparedness shows up in your overall test performance.
A common misconception about seatbelts
You may have read that AI cameras in other states now also detect seatbelt offences. That's correct. NSW began using its cameras to enforce seatbelt rules in July 2024, and Victoria has run a similar program since 2025.
In South Australia, the current cameras are configured for mobile phone detection only. Seatbelt detection has not been added to the SA program at the time of writing. That doesn't mean you should get complacent about seatbelts. They're still mandatory, and police on patrol enforce them every day. It's just worth knowing exactly what the cameras are and aren't doing.
The simple takeaway
If you keep your phone properly set up before you drive, you have nothing to worry about regardless of how many cameras get installed.
For fully licensed drivers: use a proper mount, use voice and Bluetooth, never touch the phone with the engine on.
For learners and P1 drivers: phone off, silenced, and out of reach the entire time you're driving. No GPS, no Bluetooth, no exceptions.
The cameras are watching. They'll keep multiplying. The only people they catch are the ones who haven't figured out yet that the phone can wait.
Information in this article is sourced from the South Australia Department for Infrastructure and Transport, SA Police, the My Licence SA website, and the South Australian Legal Services Commission. Specific regulatory reference: Road Traffic (Road Rules – Ancillary and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2014 (SA), Regulation 44; SAPOL Expiable Offences and Fees schedules PD320A and PD320CAM. Penalty amounts, camera locations, and rules are indicative and accurate to the best of our knowledge as at May 2026. Fines change over time and camera locations may be added, relocated or decommissioned. Always confirm current figures with SAPOL and current locations with thinkroadsafety.sa.gov.au before acting on this information. This article is general information, not legal advice.