An AI camera trial in the UK West Midlands has detected nearly 19,000 potential road offences in two weeks.
In March, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) placed camera trailers in Wolverhampton and Birmingham to identify vehicle occupants not wearing seatbelts and drivers using mobile phones.
Over a two week period in Birmingham, the AI camera technology spotted 11,144 potential seatbelt offences and 1,163 potential mobile phone use offences. In Wolverhampton, 6,081 potential seatbelt offences and 757 potential mobile phone offences were recorded.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, called the figures “shocking” and stated that they were “far higher” than expected when the trial was being arranged.
“The number of people risking their own lives and the lives of others, including some very young children, is frankly shocking,” Parker said. “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.”
The WMCA has released a string of images obtained from the trial. One shows a front-seat passenger with a small child on their lap with no seatbelt – what the authority says is “one of dozens of images” of children being driven without age-appropriate restraints. Another image shows a driver holding their phone with both hands.
The trial was funded by the WMCA in partnership with the police and fire services. The WMCA declined to disclose how much was invested when requested by Zag Daily.
In Wolverhampton, the camera trailer was planted at Fallings Park Fire Station. In Birmingham, a separate trailer was located at Ladywood Fire Station. These were both operational between 19th March 2026 and 31st March 2026.
AECOM/Acusensus developed and supplied the technology and a sample of 8,024 images were checked by human operators to confirm its accuracy.
Mobile phone use is linked to 32 deaths and unbuckled seatbelts to 133 deaths on UK roads, according to 2025 data cited by the WMCA. The authority said that 2,000 motorists a year in the West Midlands are fined and given penalty points for driving while using a mobile phone.
Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, said that the authority will “stop at nothing to stamp out such behaviours”.
“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,” MacDonald stated.
The authority said that no follow-up enforcement of the violations took place during the two-week period due to the trial status, and the intention was to firstly understand the scale of the problem.
The results have since been presented to the West Midlands Road Safety Partnership which involves councils, emergency services, transport and other partner agencies to reduce traffic collisions, deaths and injuries.
“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,” Mayor Parker added.
Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and chair of the road safety partnership, said: “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.”
