DRIVERS in Devon and Cornwall are ditching their phones and buckling up after artificial intelligence cameras caught thousands breaking the law.

The Acusensus “Heads-Up” cameras have been deployed at roadside hotspots for the past three years, however, in the last 12 months, have now flagged more than 10,000 offences. However, new figures suggest the technology is doing far more than detecting law-breakers – it is also changing driver habits.

Data gathered in August of last year revealed a 50 per cent fall in seatbelt offences and a 33 per cent fall in mobile phone offences at three trial sites across the counties.

Superintendent Adrian Leisk, head of road safety at Devon and Cornwall Police, said long-term figures from the A38 at Landrake paint an even clearer picture.

“We’ve used these cameras at the same site across 2023, 2024 and 2025. Year-on-year, the data shows a prolonged and significant reduction in both seatbelt and mobile phone offences, which is really encouraging,” he said.

“It’s important to say that the vast majority of motorists are complying with the rules – in fact, less than one per cent 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.”

The cameras work by snapping high-speed front-facing and overhead images of passing vehicles. Artificial intelligence scans for suspected offences, which are then verified by at least two human reviewers. Depending on severity, drivers receive either a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution.

The Vision Zero South West partnership, which backs the trials, says the results highlight how technology can tackle behaviours that cost lives.

Geoff Collins, general manager of Acusensus UK, said the figures show the project’s success. He said: “Not only can we measure 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.”

The wider impact is clear. Fatal and serious injuries on Devon and Cornwall’s roads have fallen for three consecutive years: from 790 in 2022, to 754 in 2023, and 678 in 2024 – the lowest in years.

Police and crime commissioner, Alison Hernandez, who chairs Vision Zero South West, welcomed the downward trend but insisted the fight is far from over.

“These aren’t just numbers – they represent lives devastated by unimaginable tragedy,” she said. “We are committed to halving deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030, and ultimately reducing them to zero. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility.”