AI Road Safety Cameras Reduce Offences in Devon and Cornwall

Cameras powered by artificial intelligence are having a noticeable effect on road safety across Devon and Cornwall, according to new figures.

How the cameras work

The Acusensus ‘Heads-Up’ systems have been trialled across the two counties for the past three years, supported by Devon & Cornwall Police and the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership.

Using two high-speed cameras, the technology captures front-facing and overhead images of vehicles. AI then scans the images for mobile phone and seatbelt offences, with at least two human reviewers in the UK verifying the results.

If an offence is confirmed, drivers either receive a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution depending on the seriousness.

Offences on the decline

Over the past year, the cameras have detected 10,000 offences. However, data suggests the presence of the systems is changing driver behaviour.

Figures from August 2024 showed detections dropping sharply: seatbelt offences fell by 50% and mobile phone use by 33% across three trial sites – the A388 Callington, A361 Barnstaple and A38 Tavistock Road in Plymouth.

Longer-term monitoring also points to a clear downward trend. On the A38 at Landrake, average daily detections reduced from 83 seatbelt and 50 phone offences in 2023, to just 14 and 10 respectively by 2025.

Adrian Leisk, Devon & Cornwall Police’s Head of Road Safety, said:
“We used the cameras at the same location on the A38 at Landrake during 2023, 2024 and 2025. The year-on-year data shows a prolonged and significant reduction in both seatbelt and mobile phone offences, which is really encouraging.

“It’s important to say that the vast majority of motorists are complying with the rules – in fact, less than 1% of the vehicles we monitored using the Acusensus cameras were detected as committing offences.

“However, the dangers associated with these offences are well documented. Around a third of all fatal collisions nationally involve someone who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt – and not wearing one means you are twice as likely to die in the event of a serious collision.

“Using a mobile phone behind the wheel also significantly increases your chances of being involved in a collision, with the distraction impairing both your judgment and reaction times.

“The Vision Zero South West partnership remains committed in the use of technology to help address behavioural issues that lead to road traffic collisions. This is about keeping all road users in Devon and Cornwall safe and I’m delighted to see these cameras having a positive impact.”

📷An image captured by the Acusensus camera system showing a driver using a laptop and mobile phone behind the wheel

“We are making roads safer”

Geoff Collins, General Manager of Acusensus UK, said the project has proved both the scale of the problem and the potential solution.

“This long-term operational project has proved that not only can we show the size of the problem, but we can effectively deal with it too. We are actively making the roads safer, as shown by the reduction of risky behaviours that we see.

“We believe the vast majority of road users are supportive of this work. It’s not acceptable that the poor behaviours of a small minority put others at risk.”

📷An Acusensus camera trailer on the A38 at Landrake

Fatalities and serious injuries reducing

The latest casualty figures add weight to the findings. In 2022, 790 people were killed or seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s roads. This fell to 754 in 2023 and dropped again to 678 in 2024.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Alison Hernandez, who also chairs the Vision Zero South West partnership, welcomed the progress but stressed there was more to do.

“While these figures are certainly going in the right direction, there is a lot more work to be done. These aren’t just numbers, these are lives turned upside down by unimaginable tragedy and trauma.

“Every member of the Vision Zero South West partnership has committed to halving the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads by 2030 – and eventually, to zero.

“We will continue to work hard, using innovation and collaboration as we strive to achieve this ambitious target. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

For more information visit www.visionzerosouthwest.co.uk

📷An Acusensus camera trailer on the A38 at Landrake