A report on BBC breakfast has highlighted the issue of people driving without wearing seatbelts, after Acusensus technology helped a police force identify 6,000 offences in just one year.

The feature shows how Devon and Cornwall Police is using the AI cameras to help catch driving offences, and how the force says it’s part of a growing trend, and it’s time to raise awareness.

It features Seth Marks, who was 21 when he was paralysed in a car crash when not wearing a belt, and the effect it has had on him and his Mum Julie.

The report also hears from Neil Thomas from the force’s Road Safety Unit, and Head of Road Safety, Adrian Leisk, and has a studio discussion involving Luca Straker from the charity Brake and Chief Supt Mark Clothier from the National Police Chiefs Council.

The Heads-Up system uses two cameras to take high-speed front-facing and overhead images of vehicles, with AI applied to detect any potential seatbelt or mobile phone offences. The images are then verified by at least two human reviewers to determine whether an offence has taken place; and if one is identified, the driver will either be sent a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution, depending on the severity.  The company has already delivered the technology to 19 police force regions in trials and operational projects across the UK. It is now working on teaching the cameras to spot potential drink- and drug-drivers.

Well worth a watch, which you can here:

(Footage courtesy of BBC Breakfast, picture from Acusensus/BBC/Devon and Cornwall)