High-tech new cameras will see convictions ‘skyrocket’
Wed, 03 Jul 2024
Hundreds of thousands of drivers committing offences such as using mobile phones behind the wheel and not wearing seatbelts could now be captured by high-tech new speed cameras that can see inside cars.
The new ‘spot’ cameras are being rolled out on 25 routes in the north of England, following trials in Greater Manchester, Devon, Cornwall and Wales.
Transport chiefs are also promising a national rollout, meaning the ultra-high-clarity speed cameras are set to soon become commonplace across the UK.
Road safety expert Road Angel estimates that up to 400,000 more motorists could now be caught and punished by authorities.
Possible penalties include points on their driving licence, fines of up to £1000 and even bans from driving.
The new cameras are known as ‘Vector SR’. They are two-way cameras that can see across three lanes or more and can work in the dark thanks to infra-red technology.
Doubling as a red light camera, their ultra-high resolution means they can see and capture motorists committing offences behind the wheel.
They use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to further enhance their capabilities.
Early trials in Devon saw just four of the new cameras capture nearly 3300 motorists for speeding alone – in just two weeks.
Because they don’t have the traditional box-like structure of older speed cameras, they are slimmer and harder to spot. Crucially, they also don’t require either road markings or a flash to record law-breaking motorists.
It means motorists may be caught without even knowing it – at least, until the penalty drops through the letterbox.
"As the Vector SR and other high-tech cameras capable of seeing inside vehicles replace legacy systems across Britain, the number of prosecutions is set to skyrocket," warns Road Angel founder Gary Digva.
He explained that there are around 7000 speed cameras across Britain with authorities now focused on replacing them with newer alternatives such as Vector SR.
The latest cameras can use existing infrastructure, making replacement easy. Transport Scotland has already signed a £500k deal to install them across Glasgow and Edinburgh, with the rest of the UK set to follow.
"By capturing drivers holding and using mobile phones behind the wheel, the new cameras will be able to penalise many more motorists than the old legacy systems are currently able to," says Digva.
Latest figures indicate that in locations where the new cameras were installed, convictions of drivers using a handled device nearly doubled.
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