Focus on risk management for fleets as national trials of AI cameras catch danger drivers
Cameras will be able to detect if motorists are not wearing a seatbelt or using a hand-held mobile phone.
Ten police forces across the UK are trialling new technology to automatically spot drivers who are using hand-held mobile phones while driving or not wearing a seatbelt.
The new kit is mounted to a vehicle or trailer and has multiple cameras giving differing views of the driver.
It follows a National Highways trial first launched in 2021 when motorists spotted driving without seatbelts or on the phone by police using the technology were sent warning letters informing them of the dangers of their behaviour.
Research shows that drivers are four times more likely to be in a crash if they use their phone while driving and twice as likely to die in a crash if they don’t wear a seatbelt.
The trial is currently in the research phase, but if approved could see a national roll-out of the technology. Cameras could be fixed to overhead gantries to monitor all lanes of traffic.
Images captured are processed by artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse whether motorists could be using a handheld mobile phone or driving without a seat belt.
Drivers can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seatbelt in addition to penalty points. Using a mobile phone while driving can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points.
The police forces taking part in the trial are: Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk; Thames Valley Police and Sussex.
National Highways head of national road user safety delivery Matt Staton said: “Distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts are key factors in a high number of incidents that resulted in people being killed or seriously injured. We believe that using technology like this will make people seriously consider their driving behaviour.”
Although the research is funded by National Highways, enforcement of motoring offences will remain a matter for individual police forces.
Last year, fleets were urged to adopt artificial intelligence to manage drivers on the road as companies revealed dramatic nationwide improvements as a result of deploying the ground-breaking technology.
In-cab cameras equipped with AI capabilities can recognise a wide range of dangers on the road and warn fleet managers of emerging risks that could lead to prosecutions or a crash.
Data from vehicle rental company Reflex Vehicle Hire shows customers are already seeing a dramatic impact from using artificial intelligence-powered technology fitted to its car and van fleet.
The in-cab camera system automatically identifies driving risks in real-time and generates alerts for managers. Among scenarios it can recognise is hand-held mobile phone use, driver distraction, fatigue, whether the driver is wearing a seatbelt, and smoking (which is prohibited in company vehicles).
Live trials have already achieved 100% compliance with seatbelt wearing laws and latest results show substantial declines in other risky behaviour among drivers, when backed by direct action to promote driver safety.
Analysis from its Flexicampro system showed fleet highlights including:
92% decline in hand-held mobile phone use
81% fall in speeding incidents
61% reduction in driver distraction
50% fall in driving while tired