New AI Safety Cameras Spot Over 31,000 Distracted, Speeding, and Unrestrained Drivers in Just Four Weeks
There has been much debate, rightly so, about how much surveillance law enforcement should be allowed to use. The average citizen often feels violated by the tools used to track almost everything they do.
However, in Western Australia, new AI safety cameras have spotted and fined more than 31,000 distracted, speeding, and unrestrained drivers in just their first four weeks of operation. So it appears that the average citizen’s behavior might actually justify some of that monitoring.
According to 9 News, six camera trailers and three fixed cameras were operating on a cautionary basis for eight months. That trial period ended on Oct. 7. In the month that followed, more than $13 million in fines were issued for violations caught on those cameras.
“If the AI system believes there is an offense, then two humans will look at those photos and make a judgment,” Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said.
Of those more than 31,000 drivers busted for misbehaving while driving, over 12,000 were caught using their phones, and around 10,000 were spotted without a seatbelt .
“It’s beyond mind-boggling why anyone would not put on a seatbelt on,” Whitby said. “For goodness sake, please, please exercise caution, be responsible.”
Perhaps even more mind-boggling are some of the other things people were doing while driving. Painting their nails and eating a bowl of cereal are just two examples.
90 percent admit to driving while distracted
While those images are almost comical, they’re really no laughing matter. Western Australia authorities say the state is closing in on its worst year for road fatalities in nearly a decade.
“People are normalizing the car as an extension of their home, when you see some of these activities,” University of Western Australia Professor Teresa Senserrick said.
She added, “It’s usually fractions of seconds that are the difference between either being able to avoid a crash or at least being in a low-impact crash.”
A study published in September revealed that up to 90 percent of Australians admit to driving while distracted. Perhaps even worse, 30 percent said they won’t change their poor driving behavior unless they have an accident.
