Mobile Phones and Driving (Qld)
In Queensland, there are strict laws that prohibit mobile phone use while driving except under very specific circumstances. These laws were updated in July 2025 to bring them into line with changes brought in across the country, increasing fines and incorporating the use of AI-powered mobile phone detection cameras to identify drivers using phones while on the road. This page outlines the laws on mobile phones and driving as they now stand in Queensland.
Legislation
Queensland’s road rules are set out in Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Road Rules) Regulations 2009.
Learners and P1 drivers under 25
A person on a learner’s permit or a P1 driver under 25 must not use a mobile phone while driving for any purpose in Queensland. This includes hands-free phones and phones that are held in a phone bay.
Other drivers
A person on a full licence must not hold a phone in their hand or on any part of their body while driving, even when the vehicle is stationary at lights or in a traffic jam. A person caught driving with a phone in their hand or resting on their lap will be fined, even if the phone was not being used.
However, a driver on a full licence may use a phone while driving if it is a hands-free device or if it is securely mounted in a holder fixed to the vehicle in order to do certain things, including:
- accepting calls
- using navigation apps
- selecting songs
A driver who is not a learner or on a P1 licence may also use their phone in hands-free mode if it is in their pocket or in a pouch they are wearing but they must not touch it or look at it.
A person who uses a mobile phone while driving other than in the permitted circumstances commits an offence punishable by a fine of 20 penalty units ($1,251). They will also accrue 4 demerit points.
Exceptions
A person may use their phone to:
- show their digital licence to police
- pay for goods or services while the vehicle is stationary in a place where goods or services are paid for; or
- obtain a card or thing required to enter an area.
Road cameras
AI-powered road cameras are now being used in Queensland to detect the use of mobile phones by drivers.
These cameras use AI technology to detect whether a driver is holding a phone as well as to detect other offences such as speeding and failing to wear a seatbelt.
If a possible offence is detected, the footage is then reviewed by a human before a penalty is issued.
Concern has been expressed over the reliability of the cameras and the possibility that infringements are being issued in error, and drivers being left out of pocket as a result.
However, police say that the new system is transforming driver behaviour and has led to a great reduction in phone use while driving.
If you require legal advice or representation in any legal matter, please contact Go To Court Lawyers.
Fernanda Dahlstrom is a writer, editor and lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Latrobe University), a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (College of Law), a Bachelor of Arts (The University of Melbourne) and a Master of Arts (Deakin University). Fernanda practised law for eight years, working in criminal law, child protection and domestic violence law in the Northern Territory, and in family law in Queensland.