Wiltshire Police trials cameras to spot drivers on phones

"We believe that using technology like this will make people seriously consider their driving behaviour"

Police are trialling cameras which can detect motorists who are not wearing a seatbelt or using phones while driving.

Wiltshire Police are one of 10 police forces taking part in the National Highways trial.

The images taken by the cameras are processed using artificial intelligence to analyse whether the motorists could be using a handheld mobile phone or drivers may be without a seat belt.

The trial began on 19 February and will run until March 2025.

Research shows that you are four times more likely to be in a crash if you use your phone while driving and twice as likely to die in a crash if you don't wear a seatbelt.

Drivers can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seatbelt in addition to penalty points.

Using a mobile phone while driving can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points.

'Contribution to road safety'

National Highway's head of national road user safety delivery, Matt Staton, said: "We know that distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts were key factors in a high number of incidents that resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.

"We believe that using technology like this will make people seriously consider their driving behaviour.

Dr Jamie Uff, is the Technical Director at AECOM and is the lead research professional who has been managing the deployment of the technology.

He said: "Expanding the deployments and integrating data processing with police systems is an important step towards this technology making a significant contribution to road safety."