Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is trialling the use of cameras that automatically detect distracted drivers.
The state-of-the-art ‘Heads Up’ technology from Acusensus can automatically detect drivers who are using a mobile phone or not wearing a seat belt.
The cameras capture footage of passing vehicles and process the images using artificial intelligence (AI). If footage appears to contain evidence of an offence, it undergoes a secondary human check.
This trial will inform a traffic survey for Safer Roads Greater Manchester, determining how many drivers are breaking the law.
The information will then help shape future road safety campaigns that aim to improve compliance with mobile phone and seat belt use.
Peter Boulton, TfGM’s Network Director for Highways, said:In Greater Manchester we know that distractions and not wearing seat belts are key factors in a number of road traffic collisions on our roads which have resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.
By utilising this state-of-the-art technology provided by Acusensus, we hope to gain a better understanding of how many drivers break the law in this way, whilst also helping to reduce these dangerous driving practices and make our roads safer for everyone.
Heads Up can be mounted to a vehicle or a trailer. It will be deployed at several locations across Greater Manchester from Tuesday 3 September.
The Acusensus system has been used by police forces and local highway authorities across the UK since 2021.
Geoff Collins, General Manager at Acusensus, said:Using our 'Heads Up' technology will allow Safer Roads Greater Manchester to better understand the levels of distracted driving and seat belt wearing on their roads.
The vast majority of drivers set out to be safe on every journey, but bad habits can creep in, resulting in a safety risk for everyone. This approach is the first step in encouraging better behaviour, ensuring safety for all road users.
This trial follows Safer Roads Greater Manchester’s launch of the ‘Touch.Screen’ campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.
The campaign was supported by Calvin Buckley, whose partner Frankie Julia Hough and their unborn daughter Neeve died when a speeding driver, recording himself at 123mph on the M66 in Bury, crashed into her car on the hard shoulder.
From 2014 to 2023, 138 people were killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in Greater Manchester where driver distraction played a role. Of these fatalities, 23 involved drivers using mobile phones.
What’s more, in 2020, one in four road traffic deaths in Greater Manchester involved someone not wearing a seat belt.
