Road authorities are using artificial intelligence (AI) to catch drivers using their mobile phones while behind the wheel. National Highways England plans to deploy new vans that come equipped with a 21ft-high mounted camera to check motorists driving down roads in northern England. The vehicles, the road authority said, will allow officials to track down and prosecute drivers breaking the law.
Officials will use the cameras – which they have previously deployed in Warwickshire, Merseyside and East and West Sussex – to track motorists in Yorkshire.
National Highways has partnered with Safer Roads Humber to monitor compliance with mobile phone and seatbelt laws.
In action, the cameras will take pictures and use artificial intelligence to identify anyone breaking the law.
Once the analysis is complete, officers will perform secondary checks before prosecuting.
Officials involved in the trial have said the new vehicles are vital for combatting traffic incidents.
Ian Robertson, the partnership manager for Safer Roads Humber partnership manager, told the Daily Mail that the number of collisions and road deaths have “plateaued” in the area.
He blamed “driver complacency” for the number of incidents, adding the vans would help officials enforce traffic laws.
Mr Robertson said people “can’t pick and choose which road traffic laws we obey” and that “all laws should be adhered to, at all times”.
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He added that while road officials can already track mobile phone users and seatbelt offenders, the new vans would give them “added capacity”.
National Highways doesn’t plan to roll out the vehicles UK-wide yet, as the agency is still “reviewing data”.
A spokesman told the Mail that once offence reviews are complete, officials would work with police and other involved parties to “improve compliance and make the network safer”.
When the vans – which were developed by Aecom and Acusensus – were first trialled in Warwickshire in October 2022, the safety technology captured motorists driving while holding phones or without a seatbelt every six minutes.
The vans checked approximately 122,241 vehicles on the M40 and A46 over 64 hours.
They detected 152 mobile phones and 512 people driving without a seat belt.
Driving without a seatbelt or using a mobile phone could incur hefty fines.
People detected using their phones risk a £200 fine and six points on their licence, while those without seatbelts may end up slapped with a £100 fine.
