Police roll out camera vans that can spot drunk driver a mile away

By JOSE RAMOS[1]

Published: 10:45, 20 February 2025 | Updated: 12:35, 20 February 2025

Police re about to roll out new hi-tech traffic camera vans which they claim can detect speeding motorists and drink drivers from a full mile away.

The vehicles being deployed can also spot motorists not wearing seatbelts or those using their mobile phones whilst behind the wheel.

The four new vans - which cost GBP47,000 each - will be sent out on the roads of the West Midlands in a bid to crack down on bad drivers and can be operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

The spending was signed off by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster for West Midlands Police after a record 1,149 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads across the West Midlands in 2023.[2]

'Speeding is a major factor in road collisions, and it's something I and West Midlands Police are determined to tackle,' he said.

'This investment, via the Safer Streets Fund, will significantly enhance our ability to catch speeding drivers and make our roads safer for everyone.

'There is no place for dangerous, reckless driving in our region.

'There have been far too many innocent lives lost as a result of those speeding above the limit. 

The new vehicles being deployed can also spot motorists not wearing seatbelts or those using their mobile phone whilst behind the wheel

The cameras are so powerful that they can produce high-resolution images using a mobile phone behind the wheel from a mile away

The four new vans - which cost GBP47,000 each - will be sent out in the West Midlands in a bid to crack down on bad drivers and can be operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week

'I look forward to seeing the vans out in action knowing the huge impact they will have to help improve safety on our roads.'

The new mobile speed camera units will catch drivers committing any of the 'fatal four' offences - speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not wearing a seatbelt, and using a mobile phone while driving.

The force, which now has eight speed camera vans, is aiming to halve the number of road-related deaths by 2030.

Superintendent Gareth Mason, who heads up the force's Roads Policing Unit, said: 'Our message is clear: if you speed, you will be caught.

'These additional vans allow us to be more visible in communities and at known speeding hotspots, sending a strong message that speeding is unacceptable.

The new mobile speed camera units will catch drivers who fall foul of the fatal four guidelines - speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not wearing a seatbelt, and using a mobile phone while driving

The force, which now has eight speed camera vans, is aiming to halve the number of road-related deaths by 2030

The new tech which is costing GBP188,000 was signed off by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, right, for West Midlands Police

'Doubling the number of speed enforcement vans is a real game changer - this will dramatically strengthen our capacity to enforce the law across our road network.

'I'd like to thank the PCC for securing this level of investment as we all work together to help dramatically drive down speeds in our region.

'Our aim is to change the mindset of motorists.

Drive safe and don't put others at risk.'

This comes as new AI cameras which detect drivers not wearing seatbelts or using their phones while driving are being trialled across the UK.

They caught almost 300 people committing driving offences just three days[3] after being deployed on the A30 near Launceston in Devon, one of the county's busiest roads.

The state-of-the-art surveillance camera uses AI technology to identify people committing driving offences, taking high-res photos that are then reviewed by AI software to determine whether an offence has been committed.

New AI powered cameras have caught 117 people using their mobile phones in just three days

The trial on the A30 follows a 15-day trial of the cameras on roads across Devon and Cornwall

The free-standing cameras use AI technology to identify people committing driving offences

Any evidence is then sent to police, where the photos are reviewed by a person to confirm whether an offence has occurred. 

If an offence has been committed, drivers will then either be sent a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution, according to the BBC.

The newly installed cameras successfully identified almost 300 people committing driving offences over a 72-hour period.

The camera was put up by Australian tech company Acusensus in partnership with road safety charity Vision Zero South West and Devon and Cornwall Police.

They use high shutter speeds, infra-red flashes, and a lensing and filtering system to take high-quality pictures of drivers.

The trial of the camera in Devon comes after AI powered cameras were deployed on roads across Devon and Cornwall as part of a 15-day trial in September 2022.

The trial caught 590 people driving without seatbelts and a further 40 people using their phones at the wheel.

The road safety trial comes after there were 48 road deaths and 738 serious injuries in Cornwall and Devon in 2022.

References

1. ^ JOSE RAMOS (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Crime (www.dailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ caught almost 300 people committing driving offences just three days (www.dailymail.co.uk)