Queenslanders are slowly but surely resisting the urge to look at their phones while behind the wheel, but one particular area in the south-east has been identified as lagging behind the rest of the state.
Figures from the Department of Transport and Main Roads showed the number of mobile phone offences recorded by police between 2012 and 2016 had dropped by 35 per cent over the five years.
However, the numbers showed the Gold Coast was a hotspot for drivers distracted by their phones, with the Queensland Police Service also having launched several initiatives in the area as part of a crackdown.
And one of Queensland's top cops remained sceptical of the results, saying he had been told that drivers were finding new ways to conceal their phones and still be able to look at it while on the road, including hiding their phone in their laps and constantly looking down.
He also believed more and more people having access to hands-free systems in their cars had contributed to the decrease.
In 2016, an estimated 0.58 per cent of the Gold Coast population was caught by police using their phone while driving, with the Sunshine Coast not too far behind on 0.48 per cent, Logan recorded 0.36 per cent and greater Brisbane equated to 0.29 per cent.
QPS Assistant Commissioner Mike Keating said the only reason he could think of that might be behind the Gold Coast spike was holidaymakers using their phones regularly to document their trip.
Regardless of the reason, Assistant Commissioner Keating said police had noticed a spike in the number of crashes in Broadbeach over the past couple of years, which had been attributed to distracted drivers.
As a result, police had implemented a number of campaigns, including enforcement and education, in the Gold Coast area to curb the trend.
"There is not just one string to our bow," Assistant Commissioner Keating said.
Despite work still needing to be done on the Gold Coast, the gradual decrease in drivers distracted by phones has been hailed as "a good trend" by police.
Another interesting trend in the TMR records was a significant drop in offence numbers between 2015 and 2016. In fact, every QPS district except for Mount Isa and North Brisbane saw a decrease.
Assistant Commissioner Keating said this coincided with the introduction of double demerit for those drivers who committed two mobile phone offences within a year.
The information from TMR also revealed cyclists had been given tickets for using phones while out on the roads during the five-year period. The top areas included 108 riders in North Brisbane, 88 in Capricornia and 87 on the Gold Coast.
Regardless of the recent results, Assistant Commissioner Keating said police would "continue to encourage people to make good decisions".
He also thanked several organisations for their ongoing support such as TMR, the Australian College of Road Safety as well as the RACQ - who recently launched a new campaign called "Bag a phone, not a body".
Stay informed. Like the Brisbane Times Facebook page.
