The UK’s first long-term AI road safety camera scheme has been announced, with the aim to use the latest technology to catch drivers “putting lives at risk” by using their phones or failing to wear a seatbelt.
This new project, which spans both Devon and Corwall’s road networks, comes as part of the Vision Zero South West (VZSW) programme – a collaboration between the two counties. Freestanding cameras will be deployed at the roadside in order to scan for mobile phone and seatbelt offences.
In its first three days of operation, the scheme has captured almost 300 offences, with Head of Road Safety at Devon and Cornwall Police, Adrian Leisk, saying the force is “employing this new technology to send a clear message to anyone who continues to use their phone behind the wheel – you will get caught.”
This comes after the UK government recently decided to extend its trial of using AI cameras as the number of drivers using their mobile phones behind the wheel was found to have surged by as much as 90 per cent last year. Since 2021, a handful of police forces across the UK – including Devon and Cornwall – have been trialling a new kind of camera technology which photographs passing cars and utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to identify whether the driver in the photograph is using their phone or not.
Pilot testing of the tech has been eye-opening with regards to the size of the issue; conviction rates for those using their phone while driving rose from just 6,990 in 2022 to 13,332 in 2023 – a seven-year high. In fact, the Department for Transport estimates that as many as 400,000 drivers per year are guilty of using their mobile phones behind the wheel.
To further clamp down on this, the trial scheme has now been extended until 2025, with 10 police forces now taking part nationwide: Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley Police, and Sussex. Devon and Cornwall’s initiative, on the other hand, falls under the separate aforementioned VZSW scheme, despite utilising the same technology.
Speaking of which, the so-called ‘Acusensus’ cameras have been developed by Texas-based firm, AECOM, with the initiatives backed by the RAC. Spokesperson for the RAC, Rod Dennis said: “Despite the penalties for using a handheld phone having doubled to six penalty points and a £200 fine seven years ago, it’s clear far too many drivers are still prepared to put lives at risk by engaging in this dangerous practice.”
“AI-equipped cameras that can automatically detect drivers breaking the law offer a chance for the tide to be turned.” Dennis continued, “The police can’t be everywhere all of the time, so it makes sense that forces look to the best available technology that can help them catch drivers acting illegally.”
