Truck and van drivers are being warned that a new generation of AI ‘safety cameras’ are landing thousands with fines and licence penalty points.
Peter Golding, CEO at fleet software specialist FleetCheck, pointed to a recent example where 2,200 drivers were prosecuted for mobile phone and seatbelt offences during just four weeks on a stretch of road in Sussex.
Golding stressed that this new generation of safety cameras is a major leap forward from older technology, offering enhanced capability to detect offences such as mobile phone use in addition to speeding
He said: “We welcome any development that improves road safety and believe that all fleets should do the same, but it is sensible to ensure that drivers are aware of the much higher risk that now exists of being caught.
“An employee who thought it was safe to quickly pick up their phone on a straight stretch of road to check their email was always taking a huge risk in terms of practical safety, but they are now also much more likely to receive six driving licence penalty points and a £200 fine.”
Golding also said that the AI safety cameras were likely to add to an increasing area of fleet managers’ workloads.
He said: “Nearly three million driving offences were committed in the UK in 2024, which was 9% up on the previous year and the highest on record, resulting in something like 15,000 points being issued every day.
“The fact is that fleet drivers who commit offences are ever more likely to get caught and this is creating a higher administrative burden for those involved in running fleets. Just processing physical paperwork and digital documents is hugely time-consuming.”
Golding advises that the best way to contain this problem is at source, with a low degree of tolerance for drivers who are caught.
“Ensuring they are aware of the effectiveness of the latest cameras, as well as how dimly you, as their employer, views issues such as mobile phone use behind the wheel, is not only the right move from an ethical and risk management point of view but can help to reduce a simply unnecessary managerial task.”
