AI cameras are being used by police in a new trial to catch drivers over the legal alcohol limit in the South West of England. The technology, already in use to catch motorists who fail to wear seatbelts or use mobile phones while driving, will now target those suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
This world-first trial is taking place in Devon and Cornwall as part of the Vision Zero South West road safety campaign, which aims to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on the region's roads. The cameras will be active throughout December, with a focus on the busy Christmas party season.
Developed by Australian firm Acusensus, the AI cameras use cloud-based algorithms to analyse images of passing cars and identify signs that a driver may be impaired. If the system detects possible impairment, it alerts officers down the road, who will then stop the car and perform roadside testing to ensure the driver is under the legal limit.
Geoff Collins from Acusensus said, "We are thrilled to conduct the world’s first trials of this technology right here in Devon and Cornwall. We can all be safer if we detect impairment before it leads to an incident that could ruin lives."
The use of AI cameras is also supported by organisations like the RAC, which highlighted that the number of drivers using mobile phones has not decreased despite harsher penalties.
Rod Dennis from the RAC said, "AI-equipped cameras can help tackle this dangerous behaviour by catching offenders who might otherwise slip through the cracks."
In addition to this trial, AI cameras have also been introduced across England to catch drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seatbelts. A wider trial is set to run until March 2025 in ten police forces across the country, helping police understand how AI technology could be used on National Highways and potentially rolled out nationwide.
New data shows that speeding offences in England and Wales hit a record high in 2023, with 2.3 million drivers caught breaking the speed limit. This marks a 10% increase from 2022, with almost all (98%) of these offences detected by speed cameras. The Home Office also reported that speeding has increased faster than the number of cars on the road since 2011, with the worst offenders seen during the summer months. In June 2023 alone, 223,029 speeding incidents were recorded, significantly more than the 159,179 cases in December.
In London, the Metropolitan Police logged 390,403 speeding cases in 2023, nearly three times the pre-Covid level. The rise in speeding offences made up 86% of the 2.7 million motoring offences in England and Wales resulting in fixed penalty notices. Of these, over half led to speed awareness courses, 36% resulted in fines, and 13% went to court.
