The UK General Manager of AI safety camera company Acusensus has explained to listeners of BBC Essex how drivers in the county could soon have their safety improved by the use of the technology to catch drivers using their phones at the wheel.
(Scroll down to hear the audio).
The technology, already in use in Devon and Cornwall, is designed to detect motorists using mobile phones or failing to wear seat belts while driving.
Geoff Collins was expanding on comments from Essex Police’s Head of Roads Policing, Adam Pipe, who had confirmed on BBC Essex that the force is looking to implement the system in the next financial year as part of a broader effort to improve road safety.
The AI system, developed by Acusensus, uses high-resolution cameras and machine learning algorithms to identify dangerous driving behaviours. Mr Collins explained to BBC Essex breakfast presenter Sonia Watson how the technology works, stating that it has been trained on hundreds of thousands of images to recognise what illegal activity looks like. The cameras act as a filter, flagging potential offences for human review, ensuring that innocent drivers are not wrongly accused. He emphasised that at least two human reviewers verify flagged images before any enforcement action is taken.
Essex will join 19 other police forces across the UK that have already trialed or implemented the AI cameras, which also spot when people are not wearing a seatbelt. Devon and Cornwall Police have seen significant results, with the system detecting a large number of mobile phone and seat belt violations.
Listen here, courtesy of BBC Essex:
(Picture – Acusensus/Hampshire Police)
