AI cameras catch thousands not wearing seat belts
Devon & Cornwall Police said 10,000 images collected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras over the last 12 months had captured 6,000 people breaking seat belt laws and 4,000 drivers using phones.
It added a large proportion of those killed in road accidents in Devon and Cornwall who were not wearing seat belts were young people, aged 16 to 24.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said road safety was under scrutiny: "Measures have not been reviewed for over a decade and we will set out the next steps for our strategy for road safety in due course."
Adrian Leisk, head of road safety for Devon & Cornwall Police, said the force was dismayed at the number of people, including children, found travelling in cars without belting up.
"Surely your child is the most precious cargo you can carry and it defies belief that people treat the safety of their children in such a casual manner," he said.
Government figures show that in autumn 2023, 97.6% of all vehicle drivers and 95.2% of front seat passengers in England were observed using a seat belt.
However, Acusensus, the company which operates the AI cameras intended to spot people using phones, said it was evident many more people were breaching the seat belt laws.
Geoff Collins, UK general manager, said he believed there was no longer a "generational knowledge transfer between people" about the dangers of breaching the seat belt rules and tougher penalties were needed.
"You think you've addressed the problem and that problem is gone but it has actually crept back in again.
"What we've learned is that there are some people who will just habitually not wear the seat belt."
Three penalty points
According to the RAC, if you are caught driving or travelling in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt, and do not qualify for an exemption, you could be given an on-the-spot fine of £100 which will not carry any penalty points.
The driver is responsible for children aged up to 14 and could be fined for each child passenger without a seat belt. If the case goes to court, the fine could be as much as £500.
However, road safety experts hope upcoming legislation will make seat belt offences endorsable, meaning offending drivers will notch up points and could lose their licence.
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Edmund King, president of the Automobile Association, said tougher penalties were needed.
"We do believe that they [the government] will be looking at making the non-wearing of seat belts an endorsable offence, probably three penalty points.
"I certainly think that would be a step in the right direction."
From the mid 1960s all vehicles were fitted with seat belts but it was not until 1983 that it became a legal requirement for drivers and front seat passengers to wear them. Eight years later the law was extended to include rear seat passengers.
The legislation was accompanied by a TV advertising campaign using the slogan "clunk click every trip".
Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.
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