A new detection van has been deployed on England’s major highways and A-roads as part of a research project conducted in collaboration with Warwickshire Police to better understand the scope of the problem surrounding these dangerous driving offences. Drivers will be sent warning letters as part of this work, in collaboration with the police, informing them of the dangers of their actions.

The’sensor test vehicle’ is outfitted with multiple cameras that can capture video of passing motorists. Artificial intelligence (AI) is used to process images captured by the cameras to determine if motorists were using a handheld mobile phone and if drivers and passengers were not wearing seat belts. The van can also be outfitted with additional technology to detect tailgating offences, though this system was not included in the most recent trials in Warwickshire.

The vehicle, which will be stationary on the side of the road while in use, will be tested for nearly three months.

The police warning letters will remind drivers that they could face a £500 fine in addition to penalty points if they do not wear a seat belt. Drivers will also be asked to complete a brief survey, the results of which will be used to inform National Highways‘ research. Using the technology in a van will allow National Highways to test it on various types of roads in order to better understand driver behaviour across the network.

The van will be used for about three months at first. The results will guide the next steps and any future deployment.

This research is part of National Highways’ commitment to making road safety its top priority. England’s highways are already among the safest in the world, and the company has ambitious plans to improve safety in the coming years. This includes a long-term commitment to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the strategic road network to zero by 2040.

According to government data, there were 420 collisions on British roads in 2019 in which the driver was distracted by a mobile phone. According to the most recent road casualty statistics for 2020, 23 percent of car occupant fatalities in reported road collisions were not wearing a seatbelt.

Jeremy Phillips, National Highways Director of Road Safety, stated:

Our top priority remains safety, and we want everyone to arrive safely at their destination.” Unfortunately, there are still drivers who refuse to wear a seatbelt, are distracted by their phones, or travel too close to the vehicle in front of them. We want to see if we can change driver behaviour and thus improve overall road safety. Our advice is simple: leave plenty of space, buckle up, and pay close attention to the road.

In 2018, not wearing a seatbelt was responsible for approximately 25% of all traffic fatalities. In the same year, 117 people were killed or seriously injured in a collision caused by a distracted driver. In just one year, a recent trial of new static roadside tailgating cameras on a stretch of the M1 captured 60,343 instances of vehicles driving too close.

National Highways recommends that you leave plenty of space, buckle up, and leave your phone at home.

Previous trials and other road safety initiatives

AECOM previously collaborated with Acusensus (AI specialists in road safety) to test a fixed camera that could detect drivers who were not wearing seatbelts and were holding a mobile phone. In just six months, the fixed camera on the M4 in Berkshire detected nearly 7,000 people failing to wear seat belts and over 25,000 drivers holding their mobile phone.

It was the first time this technology had been used in the United Kingdom. In 2019, the same system was deployed for the first time in New South Wales, Australia. In comparison to other Australian states and territories, there has been a significant and sustained reduction in road fatalities over the last two years.

Separately, National Highways England tested new tailgating cameras on the M1 near Northampton. In one year, they recorded 60,343 instances of vehicles driving too close together (October 2020 to September 2021).

Although National Highways funded the research, enforcement of traffic violations will remain the responsibility of individual police departments.

National Highways also operates three HGV cabs, which police use to monitor driving on the strategic road network. Around 250 dangerous drivers are apprehended each month as part of the Operation Tramline programme, with handheld mobile phone use and failure to wear seatbelts among the top offences identified by police.