New AI cameras set to spy on drivers inside their vehicles are being tested in 12 locations for the first time in a major crackdown on UK roads. The new cameras have been fitted in 12 locations across Scotland as part of a new six-month trial looking into the new technology.
The new cameras are built to look inside cabins, checking whether drivers are wearing a seatbelt or using their mobile phones while behind the wheel. The cameras have previously been tested in England, but the new trial is the first time the cameras have been used in Scotland.
It means road users are not expected to be fined, despite road users in England being slapped with a £200 bill for using their phones behind the wheel. The cameras are rotating around locations. However, one camera has previously been snapped on the M8 near Glasgow.
Greg Wilson, car insurance expert and CEO at Quotezone.co.uk has stressed that road users should expect a “stricter” crackdown in the near future.
He said: “Using a mobile phone while driving remains one of the most dangerous distractions on the road, yet research shows many drivers are still guilty of quick checks.
“With AI cameras being tested to detect offenders, motorists should expect enforcement to become much stricter in the coming years. A single conviction for mobile phone use can lead to six penalty points, a fine, and higher insurance premiums.
A new poll from Quotezone of 1,000 UK drivers found that 81% of Brits believe the rest of the UK should follow suit in testing AI cameras.
A whopping 54% of drivers admitted that they have noticed an increase in other motorists using their mobile phones behind the wheel in a major concern.
While 65% of those polled said they never use their phone while driving, 10% admit to glancing at their device for maps, with 9% revealing they do answer or reject phone calls.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop, previously said: “Recent statistics show that almost a quarter of in-car fatalities were of drivers and passengers who were not wearing a seatbelt at the time and tens of thousands of drivers continue to use mobile phones behind the wheel on a daily basis at serious risk and danger to themselves and others.”
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