Thousands of motorists have been caught using their phones and not wearing seat belts following the launch of a new state-of-the-art AI camera system.
Over five weeks in Greater Manchester, more than 3,200 people were recorded using their cell phones while driving or not wearing seat belts.
The images captured by the “Heads Up” camera system show drivers holding their cell phones in front of their face, near their ear, while driving, sometimes with passengers, including children, next to them.
Kate Green, deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, said she hoped the images were a “wake-up call” for many.
She said the images, which were launched as part of an experiment to learn about the situation in the region, “speak for themselves.”
The system recorded 812 drivers distracted by cell phones while driving and 2,393 cases of seat belt non-compliance.
In a few cases, the cameras, which use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and human inspectors to detect offenses, also found that adults and children were not securely fastened in their seats or not wearing seat belts at all.
Dame Sarah Storey, the current Commissioner for Tourism in Greater Manchester, said: “The findings of the study reveal a frightening truth about the number of drivers who still don’t think about how their driving behavior can affect themselves, their passengers and other road users.
“Statistics show that you are four times more likely to get into an accident if you use your phone while driving and twice as likely to die if you are not wearing a seat belt,” the report says.
The study, released in support of Greater Manchester’s Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate road deaths and life-changing injuries by 2040, was conducted across the city and region in September and October.
No one has yet been prosecuted as a result of the study.
