Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has revealed that more than 3,200 people have been caught using mobile phones while driving or not wearing seat belts as part of a trial of state-of-the-art cameras in Greater Manchester.
Images captured by the ‘Heads Up’ camera system, developed by Acusensus, show drivers holding mobile phones in front of their face, to their ear while behind the wheel, sometimes with passengers – including children – next to them.
The ‘Heads Up’ cameras capture images of passing vehicles which are initially processed using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect drivers who are potentially breaking the law and putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk.
In several cases the cameras found drivers and adult and child passengers not being securely fastened in their seats or not wearing seat belts at all.
The findings, released during Brake Road Safety Week and in support of Greater Manchester’s Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate road deaths and life-changing injury by 2040, will be used to inform campaigns to raise awareness of the consequences of not complying with the law.
READ MORE: Manchester trials AI cameras to clamp down on distracted drivers
The trial, carried out by AECOM and Acusensus on behalf of Safer Roads Greater Manchester, was held across the city-region throughout September and October.
The data gathered to understand the scale of the issue to inform future education campaigns and enforcement. has not yet led to prosecution.
During the deployment the Heads Up system recorded 812 drivers distracted by using mobile phones behind the wheel, and 2,393 incidents of seat belt non-compliance by drivers or passengers.
Active travel commissioner for Greater Manchester Dame Sarah Storey said: “The results of the trial show the horrifying truth behind the number of drivers who still don’t consider how their behaviour behind the wheel of their vehicle can affect themselves, their passengers and other people using the roads.
“Statistics show you are four times more likely to be involved in a collision if you use your phone while driving and twice as likely to die if you don’t wear a seatbelt.
“Alongside drink and drug driving and speeding, mobile phone usage and not wearing a seat belt make up the Fatal 4, the leading causes of serious injury and death on UK roads, which claim the lives around 1,000 people a year in Greater Manchester.
“As the region prepares to adopt Vision Zero, the target of which is to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2040, it is imperative that we tackle the issue of those drivers who are not taking their driving responsibility seriously and are continuing to commit offences as these images demonstrate.”
Achievements and innovations in road safety will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table!
