A new spy-in-the-sky camera which identified 15,000 cases of drivers using mobile phones could also catch motorists eating, drinking, or not wearing a seatbelt, its makers say.
Smart cameras linked to a new, automated system using artificial intelligence (AI) are being trialled on an undisclosed motorway – ahead of a blanket ban on holding a mobile device while driving which comes into force in early 2022.
The cameras instantly analyse high-definition photos taken through the windscreen of passing cars, and Jenoptik, the enforcement technology firm testing the cameras in the UK, believes they will be crucial in providing evidence to prosecute offenders.
Since spring, the pilot program has been in operation. It is expected that the scheme will soon be expanded across the country.
But Acusensus, the Australian firm who designed the cameras, admits that they can be used to catch motorists doing anything from eating, drinking, smoking, adjusting the radio or using navigation devices in a holder.
In a brochure the company stated that their system “addresses every form of distraction beyond illegal use of cell phones.”
The technology, which can also catch drivers not wearing a seatbelt, is already used in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, where it is estimated to have reduced road fatalities by a fifth since it was introduced two years ago.
According to local reports, drivers south of NSW avoided fines because of a mishandled rollout for the mobile speed cameras. Drivers north of NSW got caught.
The state government blamed Acusensus, which was awarded a $77million (£41million) contract to operate the cameras in southern NSW, for not being able to buy enough vehicles due to the impact of coronavirus, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Drivers are captured using mobile phones while driving along the motorway.
Technology that can catch drivers without a seatbelt is used already in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Since its introduction two years ago, it has been estimated that it has reduced the number of road deaths by one fifth
According to the brochure, the company claims that it addresses all distractions other than illegal mobile phone use.
Acusensus (an Australian firm that developed the camera) admits they can be used in order to capture motorists using the system. According to the brochure, the company claims that it addresses all distractions other than illegal mobile phone use.
But fine revenue from the government’s mobile speed camera program had risen to $23.7million (£12.7million) in the year leading up to June – ten times the $2.3million (£1.24million) in the previous period.
These figures were revealed by Figures the top 100 locations for mobile speed camera fines in July were in the north, while zero tickets were issued in Wagga Wagga and Queanbeyan in July – down from 339 and 152 respectively in the prior month.
The roads spokesman for the country’s Labor Party, John Graham, said Acusensus’s failure to deliver led to a ‘major inequity’, with a record number of fines in the north of the state – but nearly zero in the south.
The trial was a proof of concept and the UK trial did not penalize those who were identified.
The cameras – which can be fixed to overhead gantries or fitted in portable trailers – use very high shutter speeds to take pictures through the windscreens of each passing vehicle.
Images of high-definition quality can be produced at any temperature and speeds up to 185 mph, without motion blur.
As shown above, high-tech cameras now allow motorists to instantly record calls, texts, and scrolling while driving.
New cameras take photos through the car windscreens and are used by drivers who use their smartphones to drive.
The software scans each image and flags those who are in violation of the law to human moderators.
If the use of cameras is allowed by law, images will be sent to police. Notifications of intent prosecution would also be posted to vehicle owner.
On November 11, the UK Government stated that motorists will be prohibited from using their smartphones while driving.
Offenders will face a fine of up to £200 and six points on their licence. The new law closes a loophole which allows drivers to only be prosecuted if they use hand-held cellphones to call or send text messages.
A survey conducted by the Department for Transport found that one-fourth of drivers admit to using their phone while driving, at least once during the past twelve months.
A driver will go 100ft without looking at their smartphone if they look at it for more than two seconds when driving at 30mph.