Motorists have been warned after an artificial intelligence-powered traffic camera dubbed the "pet detective" captured a driver cuddling a dog while behind the wheel. The image, taken on the A361 at Barnstaple in Devon, shows the motorist with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding their pet.
Devon and Cornwall Police, which installed the mobile AI cameras to detect mobile phone use and seatbelt offences, shared the photograph on Facebook. They said the driver had been sent a notice of intended prosecution for failing to be in proper control of a vehicle. "This is clearly not a safe thing to be doing," the force said. "The dog could react unpredictably at any moment, resulting in a potential collision."
The force used a series of canine puns to reinforce its message, adding: "When you're in your Land Rover, leave Rover in the back with a suitable restraint. If you're driving your Ferrari, keep your furbaby safe." It emphasised that while some might consider the action "ruff justice", the driver was "in the dog house for a very good reason".
The Devon & Cornwall road safety team said it could not comment on the specific case because of an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson explained that the AI system initially flags potential offences, but a human operator subsequently reviews the images to confirm whether an offence has occurred before any enforcement action is taken.
Separate data analysed by the Department for Transport shows that 40 per cent of back seat passengers killed in car crashes between 2019 and 2023 were not wearing seatbelts, according to the RAC. An RAC survey from 2023 also found that nearly a quarter of UK drivers consider illegal mobile phone use their biggest motoring concern, with 15,300 drivers prosecuted for using a phone that year.
