Thousands of drivers caught out by AI cameras during month-long road safety crackdown

A major road safety scheme involving AI cameras has caught thousands of drivers breaking the law during a month-long trial in Sussex.

Sussex Police placed cameras on the A283 between Steyning and Shoreham from April 13 to May 10 and detected a total of 2,294 offences.

Most of the offences involved motorists failing to wear a seatbelt correctly, while hundreds were caught using mobile phones behind the wheel.

Sussex Police warned that the figures were "alarming" and highlighted the dangers still present on the county's roads.

Superintendent Jo Grantham said: "The statistics we have seen during this trial have been hugely disappointing and, honestly, alarming.

"Over the space of just one month, more than 2,000 seatbelt and mobile phone offences were detected at a single location. These are completely avoidable risks that continue to put lives in danger every day on our roads."

The cameras recorded 1,823 seatbelt offences, making up the vast majority of violations. A further 459 drivers were caught using a mobile phone while driving, while 12 motorists were found not to be in proper control of their vehicles.

Police also identified 17 drivers who were both using a phone and failing to wear a seatbelt at the same time.

Separate patrols carried out by Sussex Police's Roads Policing Unit during April uncovered even more offences as part of Operation Spotlight, the force's road safety campaign.

Officers recorded an additional 73 mobile phone offences and 190 seatbelt violations. Using a mobile phone while driving and failing to wear a seatbelt are among the most common factors linked to fatal and serious injury crashes.

Despite the high rate of offences, the number of violations fell week by week as drivers became more aware of the cameras and the risks associated with dangerous driving habits.

Superintendent Grantham shared: "What has been encouraging, however, is that we saw offences decreasing week on week as motorists became more aware of the camera and the dangers associated with these behaviours.

"It demonstrates the power of both education and enforcement in changing driver behaviour, and ultimately helping to keep people safe."

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During the campaign, officers found several examples of drivers wearing seatbelts incorrectly, including some having the belt behind their back, while others wore it under their arm.

The AI cameras use high-definition technology and infrared flash to capture clear images through vehicle windscreens in all weather and lighting conditions.

Artificial intelligence software then analyses the images and flags possible offences, and any potential violations are reviewed by at least two trained assessors before further action is taken.

Police stressed that the system does not use facial recognition technology as images are automatically anonymised during the first stage of the review process, and footage showing no offence is quickly deleted.

Drivers caught using a handheld mobile phone can face a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said awareness campaigns alone were not enough to tackle dangerous driving.

She said: "Such alarming statistics gathered from just one site over four weeks show that we can't simply rely on information campaigns to make our roads safer. We will need technology and officers on patrol to identify and target the most frequent and flagrant offenders."

The trial forms part of Sussex Police's wider effort to tackle the so-called Fatal Five offences: speeding, drink and drug driving, distraction, failing to wear a seatbelt and careless driving.