Police AI spy van catches nearly 500 offences in just one week
Smile, you’re on camera! Police AI spy van catches nearly 500 offences including motorists on their mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts and even drug-driving in just one week
- Police forces in Hampshire and the Thames Valley ran a week-long operation
- It identified 86 drivers potentially on their phone and 273 without a seatbelt
A police AI spy van has caught nearly 500 offences in just one week – including motorists on their mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts and even driving under the influence of drugs.
Police forces in Hampshire and the Thames Valley targeted commercial vehicles in a week-long operation on the A34 and the A303 as part of a National Police Chiefs Council campaign.
They used a Sensor test vehicle with an Acusensus ‘Heads-up’ solution provided by infrastructure consultancy AECOM.
The Heads-up van identified 86 drivers suspected of using a phone and 273 motorists or passengers suspected of not wearing a seat belt, with a further 132 mechanical offences identified.
Five arrests were also made for offences such as drug-driving and disqualified driving.
Police forces in Hampshire and the Thames Valley targeted commercial vehicles using an AI spy camera van (pictured)
A driver caught using his phone at the wheel – as captured by the AI-powered cameras
The AI-equipped camera van can detect drivers using their phones using two cameras.
The first is set at a shallow angle to identify a mobile phone close to the driver’s ear and spot whether a seat belt is being worn.
The second has a steep view to see if a mobile phone is being held down in front for texting.
Once the offences are identified by the AI system, the results are double-checked by at least two humans before being considered for prosecution.
READ: Campaigners urge UK Government to scrap ‘disturbing’ use of AI – including police facial recognition surveillance
Simon Gomer, manager of the police forces’ Safer Roads Unit, said: ‘These are very exciting times and this has been a great opportunity for both forces to utilise the latest in AI technology.
‘But the results we’ve had from just one week sadly show how prolific these offences are. We will continue to spread the message that distracted driving kills, these offences will be punished and social habits need to change.’
The Heads-up technology can also detect if a driver isn’t wearing their seatbelt and is equipped with automatic number plate recognition to spot unregistered or stolen vehicles.
It can spot offences in vehicles travelling up to 300km per hour.
Dr Jamie Uff, of AECOM, said: ‘Despite the often-reported dangers of distracted driving and failing to wear seat belts, the numbers of people killed or seriously injured as a result of these behaviours remain high.
‘The technology AECOM is deploying makes detection straightforward and is providing valuable insight to the police and policy makers on the current level of road user behaviour. We are really keen for the use of this technology to be expanded to raise awareness and improve road safety for everyone.’
Police Sergeant Paul Diamond, of the Commercial Vehicle Unit, said: ‘It is always disappointing to see the level of danger some people bring to themselves and other motorists, but with dedicated operations like this we can combat the threat and remove the worst offenders.’
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