Children caught on AI cameras cost drivers £500 fines from passenger seat
Drivers could be caught out by hefty penalties with new AI cameras able to pick up what happens inside vehicles.
Motorists could be slapped with a staggering £500 fine if their passenger is caught not wearing a seatbelt on AI cameras due to a driving law.
Over 2,000 people were caught without seatbelts on A-roads in Devon and Cornwall between July and August.
Of these, a whopping 109 were children in new details officers described as “truly alarming”.
The findings come after a range of AI cameras were installed in the region over recent years as part of a series of trials.
The AI tools can detect drivers using mobile phones, passengers using the steering wheel and check if everyone is properly wearing a seat belt.
Adrian Leisk, the head of road safety for Devon and Cornwall Police has demanded the introduction of tougher rules.
Alongside the traditional £500 fine, he wants to see offenders hit with three points on their driving licence.
Adrian also claims any motorists who are allowing children to travel without seatbelts should also be made to attend a “safeguarding check”.
He said: "I'm struggling to understand why people think it's OK not to wear a seat belt, particularly young people in their vehicles.
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"In the event of a forward collision or if the vehicle were to brake sharply, the weight of the parent would crush the child against the front of the car."
AI cameras are positioned higher than traditional speed and security cameras which helps look directly into cabins.
The cameras use “advanced vehicle monitoring systems” that can monitor driver activity and send results directly to a local police force for analysis.
Rod Dennis, road safety spokesperson for breakdown specialisist at the RAC, commented: “AI-equipped cameras that can automatically detect drivers breaking the law offer a chance for the tide to be turned.
“The police can’t be everywhere all of the time, so it makes sense that forces look to the best available technology that can help them catch drivers acting illegally.”
However, some experts have attacked the move to introduce AI cameras with one specialist claiming the tools run the risk of “criminalising drivers”.
Jake Huefurt, spokesperson for Big Brother Watch said: “This kind of intrusive and creepy surveillance which treats every passer-by as a potential suspect is excessive and normalising it poses a threat to everyone's privacy.
"People should be free to go about their lives without being analysed by faceless AI systems."
