Accidents involving motorists driving while on the phone and/or not wearing seatbelts may soon be a thing of the past in the UK.
UK Police are currently testing a van that can spot drivers holding their phones while at the wheel and people not wearing their seatbelts for the first time, per Engadget.
Drivers who are caught during the van's testing can either get a warning or be prosecuted, depending on the severity, per The Guardian's report.
UK Sensor Test Vehicle Trial Period Details - How Does It Work?
Warwickshire Police has announced it is testing a van equipped with new mobile technology capable of automatically detecting drivers holding their phones while driving along the UK's major highways, per the Warwickshire Police's official website.
In addition to detecting drivers holding their phones while driving, Police also mentioned that the sensor could detect people not wearing seatbelts.
The testing of these vans is part of a research project carried out by government-owned company National Highways in partnership with the Warwickshire Police to boost road safety by understanding the scale of the problem involving distracted driving and driving without a seatbelt.
The sensor, which is attached to a stationary van, is equipped with multiple cameras that can record footage of passing motorists driving at speeds expected on commonly used motorways and major A-roads.
Images captured by these cameras are then processed using AI to see if the driver is holding a mobile phone while driving as well as people not wearing seatbelts.
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The sensors can also detect if a driver is tailgating. However, this feature is not included by National Highways in Warwickshire Police's trials of the new sensors.
Should a driver be found using their phone while driving or if someone was caught not wearing a seatbelt, authorities will have the vehicle in question stopped and issue a warning letter to the offending people.
The warning letter contains a reminder that drivers could be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seat belt in addition to penalty points.
They will also be asked to complete a survey that can be used to inform National Highways' research.
On the other hand, Warwickshire Police Inspector Jem Mountford said that the most serious breaches of road safety due to distracted driving and/or not wearing seatbelts while driving may be prosecuted.
"We are really excited to see the impact that this new technology has on the behavior of drivers in Warwickshire," Inspector Mountford added.
The trial, which is expected to last for three months, will determine how the technology behind the sensors can be further deployed in the future.
Why Use The New Sensors?
The statement from the Warwickshire Police mentioned that the UK government found there were 420 collisions on British roads in 2019 due to distracted driving or when the driver is holding their phone while driving.
Additionally, failure to wear a seatbelt was found to be the cause of one in four road deaths in 2018. Meanwhile, 117 people were killed or seriously injured in a collision where the driver was distracted by using their phones in the same year.
