AI cameras flag nearly 20,000 potential driving offenses

A new trial of artificial intelligence (AI) cameras in the West Midlands has caught over 19,000 potential driving offences in just two weeks.

The trial, run by the West Midlands Combined Authority, captured thousands of alarming images of motorists without seatbelts or using their mobile phones behind the wheel.

Initial scans recorded 17,225 seatbelt offences and 1,920 mobile phone offences at the Ladywood and Fallings Park fire stations in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Included in the shocking images is a front-seat passenger holding a young child without a seatbelt and a driver holding their mobile phone with both hands.

Having seen the size of the issue, the Mayor of the West Midlands has urged drivers to switch off their phones and buckle up.

Mayor Richard Parkes said: "The number of people risking their own lives and the lives of others, including some very young children, is frankly shocking and far higher than we expected when setting up the trial.

"The law is clear on seatbelts and mobile phones. I’ve met families who have lost loved ones to reckless driving. They never recover from these tragedies; the grief is always there. People need to stop doing this; it is simply not worth the risk."

National road safety data revealed the true impact of the images captured. In 2025, mobile phone use was linked to 32 deaths, and unfastened seatbelts accounted for 133.

The AI technology was developed and supplied by AECOM/Acusensus, and its accuracy was checked by humans using a sample of over 8,000 images.

“As we review these results with our Road Safety Partnership and look to next steps, I promise to use every resource available, including new technology like this, to make our streets safer for everyone", said Parkes.

As the West Midlands Combined Authority is currently testing the new technology, there has been no follow-up enforcement for the drivers captured in the images.