"The message is simple, switch off your mobile phone, your conversation is not critical to survival, whereas your driving skills are," said assistant commissioner of traffic, Ray Shuey.
The crackdown won't result in increased penalties for vehicle mobile phone offenders, however, Victorians will have to be more circumspect when it comes to deciding whether to use their mobile phones behind the wheel, as the state's highway patrol officers give motorist mobile phone usage monitoring a high priority.
"At the moment you'll see 20 or 30 people around the city talking on mobile phones with no regard for the law," said Shuey. "This is a serious situation."
According to recent studies carried by Queensland academics, drivers who use mobile phones on the road are four-times more likely to have an accident.
Shuey said the Victorian Police collected its data on mobile phone usage by "observation", traffic patrols noting 19,000 incidence of the offence last year.
"Quite often we pick-up speeders and find that they're talking on phone as well," he said.
When it comes to finding evidence to linking motor vehicle accidents to mobile phone usage, Shuey says investigators are facing an up-hill battle.
"It's very difficult to determine because no-one will admit that they were using a phone because they know it's illegal," he said
The range of vehicle equipment competing with the mobile phone to usurp driver attention makes the task of establishing a relationship even more difficult according Telstra, which announced its Drive Safe awareness campaign in mid-December.
"There is no research around the world that proves that there is a relationship between mobile usage and accidents," said a spokesperson for Telstra.
Shuey says that mobile phones present a much greater threat to safe driving than other vehicle gadgetry as they distract the driver for a "longer period of time".
Telstra says its campaign was motivated by the results of a customer survey. It revealed 1 in 5 of its customers sent SMS messages while driving, one-third made calls, 1 in 10 did not know that it is illegal and the same proportion had narrowly avoided accidents brought on by using their handsets behind the wheel.
However, the assistant commissioner also had a warning for owners of vehicle fitted with handsfree kits.
"Using these phones also carries a risk," he said. "People still divert their attention to using the buttons and thinking about their conversation."
In Victoria using a mobile phone whilst driving carries a $135 fine, the second highest financial penalty levied in an Australian state; South Australia tops the list at $159. New South Wales is next highest imposing a $118 fine.
Tasmania and Queensland are the most lenient on offenders imposing fines of $80 and $75 respectively. Western Australia is the only state in which drivers accrue demerit points against their licenses for the offence - one point per incident and a $100 fine.
I agree with intent of the law. From experience I found it was distracting to handle and operate a mobile whilst driving.
I have now a handsfree kit and unless it is absolutely necessary I pull over to the side of the road if I need to speak on the mobile phone.
There are enough distractions on the road and using a mobile phone whilst driving does not need to be one of them.