The new ‘Heads Up’ technology from Melbourne, Australia-headquartered Acusensus captures footage of passing vehicles before the images are processed using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect potential offenders.
Footage deemed to contain evidence of an offence is sent for a secondary human check to confirm that an offence has occurred. If an image shows that no offence has been committed, it is deleted immediately by the software and no further action will be taken.
This trial will be used by Safer Roads Greater Manchester as a traffic survey to ascertain how many drivers are breaking the law. This will be used to refine future road safety campaigns aimed at improving compliance of mobile phone and seat belt use by drivers.
Research shows that motorists are four times more likely to be in a crash when using a mobile phone while driving, and twice as likely to die in a crash if not wearing a seat belt.
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In a statement, Peter Boulton, TfGM’s network director for highways, said: “In Greater Manchester we know that distractions and not wearing seat belts are key factors in a number of road traffic collisions on our roads which have resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.
“By utilising this…technology provided by Acusensus, we hope to gain a better understanding of how many drivers break the law in this way, whilst also helping to reduce these dangerous driving practices and make our roads safer for everyone.”
Heads Up, which can be mounted to a vehicle or a trailer, will be deployed at several locations across Greater Manchester from today on a trial basis.
Between 2014 and 2023 138 people were killed or seriously injured following road traffic collisions in Greater Manchester where driver distraction was a contributing factor. Of those deaths, 23 people lost their lives in a road traffic collision where the driver was using a mobile phone.
Driving while distracted is said to be listed among the National Police Chiefs' Council’s ‘fatal four’ causes of road traffic collisions, alongside speeding, drink and drug driving, and not wearing a seat belt.
In 2020, one in four people killed in road traffic collisions in Greater Manchester failed to wear a seat belt.
The Acusensus camera system has been used by police forces and local highways authorities across the UK since it was first trialled by National Highways in 2021.
Geoff Collins, general manager at Acusensus, said: “The vast majority of drivers set out to be safe on every journey, but bad habits can creep in, resulting in a safety risk for everyone. This approach is the first step in encouraging better behaviour, ensuring safety for all road users.”
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