Cameras that spotted 8,500 offences head for the A30, A38 and M5

You might not notice the tall pole by the verge. It notices you, though, and whether your seatbelt is on or there’s a phone in your hand.

Cameras that spot drivers using mobile phones and passengers without seatbelts are being rolled out more widely across Devon and Cornwall, and for the first time they will cover the M5 motorway.

The Acusensus camera systems have been used at locations across the two counties over the past four years, in trials supported by Devon & Cornwall Police and the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership.

How the cameras work

Each system takes both overhead and front-facing images of passing vehicles. AI and human reviewers then check those images for mobile phone and seatbelt offences.

Since being deployed in the region, the cameras have monitored 6.5 million vehicles and detected more than 8,500 offences. That breaks down as over 5,400 seatbelt offences and 3,100 mobile phone offences.

The camera data also points to a change in behaviour. On average, sites see a 50% reduction in offences over a month, and an 80% long-term reduction when the cameras return to a site.

A30, A38 and M5 now on the list

Because of those results, National Highways has agreed to expand the initiative on the region’s strategic road network until the end of April 2027. That includes the A38, the A30 and, for the first time, the M5.

Adrian Leisk, Devon & Cornwall Police’s Head of Road Safety, said most drivers are doing the right thing.

“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,” he said.

“Using a mobile phone behind the wheel significantly increases your chances of being involved in a serious collision, particularly on high-speed roads where traffic might suddenly slow, and motorists not wearing seatbelts are twice more likely to die than those who wear one. These dangers cannot be understated.

“While the figures demonstrate that the vast majority of motorists are complying with the rules, sadly a small minority continue to ignore the law and put other lives in danger.

“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 it’s great to see these cameras having a positive impact in our region.”

“A shared responsibility”

Jack Mason, South West Road Safety Manager for National Highways, said: “Road safety is a shared responsibility. Motorists play an active role through the way they drive.

“Working as part of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, our ambition remains that no-one should be harmed while travelling or working on our roads.”

Geoff Collins, UK General Manager of Acusensus, added: “Our experience in Devon and Cornwall clearly demonstrates that the long-term use of this camera technology does change behaviours, for the better.

“Far fewer drivers are distracted by their phones and more occupants are correctly belted, meaning the roads are safer for everyone.”

Fewer killed and seriously injured

Over the last four years, Devon and Cornwall has seen a fall in the number of people killed and seriously injured on its roads (known as KSI figures). KSIs have dropped year on year for four years, with last year’s figures reaching an historic low.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, chairs the Vision Zero South West partnership.

“While these figures are certainly going in the right direction, there is a lot more work to be done,” Alison said. “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.

“The level of collaboration between agencies within Vision Zero South West has been key to our progress. It’s enabled us to work with new partners and test groundbreaking equipment, along with new educational opportunities, which are improving driver behaviour and preventing people from being killed or seriously injured.

“We need everyone to be at their very best when using our roads. No one wants to answer the door to a police officer bringing them tragic news about a family member or loved one.”

Who is behind Vision Zero South West?

Vision Zero South West is a shared commitment between organisations across Devon and Cornwall, each pledging to halve deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 2030. It is led by a partnership board that includes senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians, councillors and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Its partners include Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Cornwall Council, Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, National Highways, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Devon Air Ambulance, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and TTC.

What the partnership funds

The partnership pays for a range of projects aimed at cutting deaths and serious injuries on Devon and Cornwall’s roads. Recent examples include:

• IMPACT, the Centre for Post-Collision Research, Innovation and Translation, which carries out research here in the South West
• Extra caseworkers within Brake’s Road Victim Service in Devon and Cornwall
• Learn2Live, a theatre-based road safety session delivered to thousands of college-aged students each year
• Pedestrian safety training in primary schools, such as the Walkability Program
• Subsidised advanced training courses for young drivers and motorcyclists
• Vehicle Activated Signs for communities that applied through its Call For Ideas scheme
• A Ford Focus RS used to promote road safety to younger car enthusiasts
• Targeted road safety advertising and publicity campaigns
• Cycle and motorcycle roadside warning signs

Vision Zero South West is also on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.