THAMES Valley Police is joining a new trial of cameras that can tell when a motorist is using their mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.
They are one of 10 forces across the country that will use specialist cameras that can give a range of views of drivers and passengers.
National Highways says its research shows motorists are more than four times more likely to be involved in a collision if they are on their phone while driving, and twice as likely to die if no seatbelt is worn.
The cameras are mounted to a vehicle or trailer and follow on from a trial launched three years ago.
There are plans for the technology to be fixed to gantries, giving an unobscured view of all lanes.
In partnership with AECOM, the research is now being extended until March next year, to learn more about how the technology could work on National Highways roads and inform a possible future roll-out nationwide.
Images are processed using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse whether the motorists could be using a handheld mobile phone or drivers may be without a seat belt.
These are passed to police for consideration on any action to be taken.
Drivers can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seatbelt in addition to penalty points.
Using a mobile phone while driving can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points.
As well as Thames Valley Police, forces taking part in the trial are: Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, and Sussex.
National Highways Head of National Road User Safety Delivery, Matt Staton, said: “We know that distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts were key factors in a high number of incidents that resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.
“Working with our police partners we want to reduce such dangerous driving and reduce the risks posed to both the drivers and other people. We believe that using technology like this will make people seriously consider their driving behaviour.
“We will continue to invest in technology that could help make sure everyone using our roads gets home safe and well.”
And Dr Jamie Uff, is the Technical Director at AECOM and lead research professional who has been managing the deployment of the technology.
He said: “AECOM is really pleased to be continuing our work with National Highways, the Police and camera suppliers. Our work to date has highlighted the scale of the issue, has shown that technology can play a valuable role, and that there is much still to be understood about driver behaviour given the new insights gained.
“Expanding the deployments and integrating data processing with police systems is an important step towards this technology making a significant contribution to road safety.”
Although the research is funded by National Highways, enforcement of motoring offences will remain a matter for individual police forces.
