A new generation of road safety cameras which peer inside a vehicle are being rolled out after trials across Britain.
The system was developed in Australia and dramatically cut accidents caused by drivers using mobile phones and other devices so the Acusensus twin cameras were tested by police in Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley Police, Sussex and Warwickshire.
Data from the Department for Transport showed that 17 people were killed, 114 people were seriously injured, and 385 were slightly injured in road traffic accidents in Great Britain where the driver was using a mobile phone in 2020.
The Heads-up system as it’s called received the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation and WJ Group Road Safety Award last month.
Privacy concerns have been expressed about the system and police point out it does not include facial details due to the angle of the recorded images but includes the license plate, speed and date/ time for penalties to be issued.
RAC road safety spokesman 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. We suspect a major reason for this is a lack of enforcement, meaning many drivers have no fear of being caught.
“AI-equipped cameras that can automatically detect drivers breaking the law offer a chance for the tide to be turned. 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.
“What’s more, we know from RAC research that drivers are widely supportive of tougher enforcement of the law around handheld mobile phone use, with nearly half of these (47%) saying that camera technology like this is the best way of doing so.”
The CIHT Awards recognise Acusensus’s impactful work in the UK since 2022, marked by the initial trial of ‘Heads-Up’ in collaboration with National Highways and AECOM.
Since then, Acusensus’s initiatives in the UK have experienced significant growth — by May 2024, ‘Heads-Up’ has been implemented at over 50 distinct locations and can also monitor average speed over any distance.