A UK police force has started using Artificial Intelligence to detect driving law infringements.
Merseyside Police have installed a spy camera on the area’s roads with AI technology to survey to decide if an offence has been committed - such as using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt while in the vehicle - before being verified by a human and then passed on to the police for further action,
Sargent Garreth Berry said the cameras - which are set at a shallow angle to see if phones are near a drivers’ ear or if seatbelts are being worn - would “make our roads safer” while pointing out that 19 people lost their lives on the roads and 440 people were seriously injured.
He added: "The new technology isn't about giving tickets, it's about improving road safety and encouraging people to stop using their phones and start wearing seatbelts.
"Hopefully, now everyone knows we're using this technology, it will prevent them from using their phone and encourage them to wear seatbelts."
According to the BBC, Paul Fletcher, a representative from Merseyside Road Safety Partnership, said that the “vast majority” of road users followed the law and did not use their phones and did actually don a seatbelt while in their cars.
He continued: "For those who don't appreciate the risks associated with both, we're hoping this device will be enough to prevent them from continuing to put themselves and others at risk of harm.”
