An AI-powered road safety trial in the West Midlands captured images of almost 19,000 driving violations in just two weeks, prompting urgent calls for motorists to buckle up and stop using their phones.
The trial, conducted at two sites in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, recorded a range of life-threatening behaviours. One image showed a front-seat passenger holding a small child on their lap without a seatbelt, while another showed a driver with both hands on a phone instead of the steering wheel. Dozens of other images depicted children travelling without age-appropriate restraints.
Shocking findings at trial sites
Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker described the findings as “frankly shocking” and said risk-taking among drivers was far higher than anticipated. The AI camera technology was set up outside Ladywood and Fallings Park fire stations in March.
At the Ladywood site, 11,045 potential seatbelt offences and 1,163 potential mobile phone use offences were identified. At Fallings Park, 6,030 potential seatbelt offences and 757 potential mobile phone offences were recorded.
Officials vow to use every resource
Mr Parker 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.”
He added: “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.”
The trial was funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in collaboration with the police and the fire service. Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and chair of the area’s road safety partnership board, said: “These initial findings are deeply concerning.
“Let me be absolutely clear: reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads remains our absolute top priority. We are closely evaluating these trial results to consider how this advanced AI technology can be deployed for future police enforcement.
“We cannot tolerate reckless behaviour that puts lives at risk, and we will use every effective tool at our disposal to ensure our roads are safer.”
No follow-up enforcement planned
No follow-up enforcement is planned following the trial, which aimed to establish the potential scale of illegal phone use and lack of child restraints. Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, said: “Mobile phone use at the wheel and failing to wear a seatbelt are two of the leading causes of death and serious injury on our road network, and yet you barely have to leave your front door before you see someone taking these potentially lethal risks.
“Our work with this cutting-edge technology shows we will stop at nothing to stamp out such behaviours.”
The WMCA said road safety data for 2025 showed mobile phone use was linked to 32 deaths and unbuckled seatbelts to 133 deaths on UK roads, while about 2,000 motorists a year in the West Midlands are fined and given penalty points for driving while using a mobile phone.
