The AI camera now watching Hayle Bypass for illegal U-turns

If you’ve ever sat in traffic on the Hayle Bypass and thought about just swinging the car round, there’s now a camera watching for exactly that.

A new AI-powered camera designed to detect illegal U-turns has gone up at a long-standing collision hotspot on the Hayle Bypass section of the A30. It’s the first of its kind to be used anywhere in the UK for spotting U-turns, and it’s been installed by National Highways working with Devon and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Council, all members of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership.

Why this stretch of road got a U-turn ban in the first place

National Highways brought in a U-turn ban on this section of the A30 back in 2021, after a run of serious collisions and a steady stream of complaints from people who use the road. Since 2014, ten collisions on this stretch have been directly caused by U-turns. One person has died, six have been seriously injured, and thirteen more have suffered slight injuries.

Signage has gone up along the route warning drivers about the ban, but National Highways says there have still been reports of near misses, some of which have led to prosecution through Devon and Cornwall Police’s Op Snap scheme, which lets members of the public submit video evidence of road traffic offences.

What happens if you’re caught making a U-turn here

Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety at Devon and Cornwall Police, said the collision history on this stretch speaks for itself.

“While a U-turn may seem like an innocent manoeuvre, the collision history on this particular stretch of road shows just how dangerous they can be,” he said. “Despite the U-turn ban and prominent signage, a small minority of road users continue to make dangerous decisions on this route, which is why these cameras have become necessary.

“Devon and Cornwall Police will not hesitate to take action against anyone caught making an illegal U-turn. Please, don’t risk it.”

Anyone with dashcam or other footage of a near miss on the route can submit it through Op Snap.

National Highways and Cornwall Council’s response

Oliver Dash, Senior Road Safety Engineer at National Highways, acknowledged that queuing in traffic is frustrating but said it doesn’t justify the risk.

“Safety is our first priority, and the vast majority of drivers who use our roads every day are sensible and respectful,” he said. “But sadly there are some road users who are putting themselves and others at risk.

“We understand waiting in queues during periods of congestion can be frustrating, but carrying out U-turns on a road such as the Hayle bypass is incredibly dangerous. We’re employing the camera primarily to monitor traffic movements and manoeuvres. Data will be available to our Vision Zero South West partners and we hope this monitoring initiative will deter drivers from making U-turns as we work towards reducing the number of collisions in this location.”

Cllr Dan Rogerson, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport, linked the camera to the council’s wider road safety ambitions.

“Earlier this year we adopted our new Road Safety Strategy with the goal of eliminating all deaths on Cornwall roads by 2050, and tackling known accident blackspots like this will help us achieve that aim,” Dan said. “Every accident that happens on our roads has a personal cost, it has a social cost and it has an economic cost, and we will continue to work with our partners and to utilise new technology to tackle the problem.”

What is Vision Zero South West

Vision Zero South West is a partnership between organisations across Devon and Cornwall, each committed to halving deaths and serious injuries on the region’s roads by 2030, and eventually reducing them to zero. It’s led by a partnership board drawing on senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians, councillors and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Beyond the Hayle Bypass camera, the partnership funds a range of road safety work, from post-collision research and additional caseworkers for Brake’s Road Victim Service, to the Learn2Live theatre-based road safety programme for college students and pedestrian safety training in primary schools. It also subsidises advanced training courses for young drivers and motorcyclists, and has funded Vehicle Activated Signs for communities that applied through its ‘Call For Ideas’ initiative.

More information is available at visionzerosouthwest.co.uk.