Drivers across Scotland are being warned of new road cameras that can look inside cars, which are being rolled out as part of a new safety trial.
The cameras can detect whether drivers are using their mobile phones at the wheel or if they are not wearing a seatbelt.
Through a new Transport Scotland trial, the cameras will be installed at 12 sites to monitor traffic and drivers for the next six months.
This will become the largest trial of the technology in the UK to date, with hopes that the data gathered will inform future enforcement strategies.
Data from Transport Scotland shows that of the 4.7 million daily vehicle journeys across the country, almost 170,000 drivers fail to wear seatbelts.
Research also shows that more than 28,000 motorists use their mobile phones or another handheld device every day when they’re in control of the vehicle.
The cameras themselves will be mounted on trailers alongside roads, with artificial intelligence processing the images captured.
The AI can determine whether an offence has taken place, although humans are used to confirm any incidents with a two-stage authentication phase.
The new AI road cameras that can see inside vehicles will be rolled out across Scotland
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Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop highlighted that mobile phones and not wearing a seatbelt are two of the highest-risk factors that could lead to a serious injury or death.
She explained that drivers can present significant risks to other road users and their own passengers when failing to wear a seatbelt or not paying attention to the road.
The SNP MSP for Linlithgow said: “This trial will give us the most comprehensive picture yet of the scale of these issues.
“The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to our goal of making Scotland’s roads the safest in the world by 2030.
The AI road cameras can see inside vehicles to detect seatbelt and mobile phone offences
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“The use of new technology to tackle some of the most dangerous driver behaviour will help us achieve that goal.”
Almost a quarter of in-car fatalities in Scotland are down to drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt, the Transport Secretary noted.
She added that the Scottish Government would not allow these offences to continue, with hopes that the trial will inform “enforcement, education and targeted investment”.
These AI road cameras have already been deployed across the UK, with trials taking place in Greater Manchester and Devon and Cornwall.
The AI road cameras will be introduced at 12 sites across Scotland over the next six months
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Recent data from Vision Zero South West shows that the AI cameras have detected 10,000 offences in the last year, resulting in a 50 per cent drop in seatbelt detections and a 33 per cent fall in mobile phone offences.
Once an offence is correctly identified, the owner of the vehicle will be sent a warning letter or a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP).
Geoff Collins, from Acusensus, which runs the camera technology, said the trial would provide “clear evidence” of the scale of road offences across Scotland.
“We know from existing operational schemes that this knowledge gives us a chance to change bad habits, which will result in fewer avoidable collisions and casualties,” he added.
