Brighton and Hove News » Police test latest tech to catch rogue drivers on Hove seafront
Police have tested the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the Hove seafront to check if drivers are wearing seat belts or using mobile phones at the wheel.
Transport officials have also tested the technical breakthrough on the A23 at Hickstead and the Gatwick link road.
Sussex Police said: “More than 10,000 vehicles have been screened in Sussex using a ‘sensor test vehicle’ which analyzes whether crime is being committed.
“It is equipped with a special camera system to filter out possible violations, which are then checked by human eyes and double checked.
“The vehicle was used in a joint operation by Sussex Police and National Highways which identified more than 200 driving offenses at locations on the A23 Hickstead, the A23 Gatwick link and in Kingsway, Hove earlier this year.
“Not wearing a seat belt and being distracted while driving, such as using a mobile phone, remain two of the top reasons people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“This includes a 23 percent increase in the number of deaths over the past year as a result of people not wearing seat belts, according to figures from the Department of Transportation.
“These figures also show that in 2019 there were 420 collisions on UK roads where the driver used a mobile phone at the wheel.
“The results of the campaign that have just been published show that commercial road users are disproportionately represented with 32 percent of mobile phone offenses and 82 percent of seat belt offenses.”
Sussex Chief Constable Jo Shiner, who is also head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council for Road Policing, said: “Too many people continue to die on our roads and many more are seriously injured every day.
“I applaud all initiatives that are helping to raise the profile of hazardous activity on our roads and urge everyone to buckle up and stay tuned to their cell phones.
“I also recognize and thank the vast majority of law-abiding motorists who have shown themselves to be fully law-abiding during this operation.
“If people you care about are using their phones while driving or are not wearing their seat belts, please encourage them to change their behavior before they get hurt or hurt someone else.”
Jamie Hassall, National Highways Director of Traffic, said: “We are getting a better picture of driver compliance on the strategic road network as we deploy this equipment on different types of roads in our network.
“We want to make the small percentage of drivers who endanger themselves and others with these behaviors aware that we can now easily identify these offenses.
“Most companies have zero tolerance for the use of portable cell phones and many have also banned the use of hands-free kits due to the increased risk of collision, and the same goes for seat belts.
“This means drivers can be fired, get points and a fine or even face court in more serious cases. It’s time to make a positive change by putting down the phone and buckle up.”
Jamie Uff, Technical Director of Aecom, who led the research and deployment of the sensor test vehicle, said: “Despite the often reported dangers of distracted driving and not using seat belts, the number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of these behaviors remains high.
“The technology that Aecom uses makes detection straightforward and provides police and policy makers with valuable insights into the current behavior of road users.”
Geoff Collins, General Manager of Acusensus UK, said: “The Sussex installations have proven that the combination of AI as an intelligent ‘pre-filter’, backed by independent human verification, results in an extremely powerful tool for detecting dangerous driving behaviour.
“Acusensus’ ‘Heads-Up’ technology is currently being deployed across Australia, where behavior change is already taking place, with an associated reduction in deaths and serious injuries.”