UK: AI cameras spot 109 kids without seat belts

Devon and Cornwall Police are seeing red – and not just from traffic lights. The force revealed that its AI-powered cameras have flagged a worrying trend: people just aren’t buckling up. Even more concerning? Over 100 children were caught on camera without seat belts over the summer. Yes, you read that right – kids, as young as toddlers, strapped in by nothing but hope and bad decisions.

The cutting-edge AI cameras, introduced to the region in recent years, are not your average traffic cams. Positioned higher than usual, they peer into vehicles, recording everything from drivers glued to their phones to, apparently, passengers deciding the steering wheel might be a better handhold than a seat belt.

In just two months, these surveillance wizards nabbed over 2,000 people on A-roads without their seat belts. And out of that staggering number, 109 were children. You can almost hear the collective facepalm from road safety officers.

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Adrian Leisk, head of road safety for Devon and Cornwall Police, is not mincing words. “I’m struggling to understand why people think it’s OK not to wear a seat belt, particularly young people in their vehicles,” he said, visibly baffled at the idea. In his view, the current £500 fine just isn't cutting it. He’s calling on the government to up the stakes, suggesting that a nice three-point bonus on your driver’s license might encourage better behaviour.

And that’s not all. If your child is caught without a seat belt, expect a knock on the door. No, it’s not the Tooth Fairy – police officers will be making house calls to chat with the legal guardians about this alarming trend. Leisk hinted these visits are part of a "safeguarding check" to ensure everyone understands the serious risk: in a forward collision, an unbelted parent could literally crush their child. That’s one way to ruin a family road trip.

The police are hoping these AI cameras – and the hefty fines – will hammer home the point: seat belts aren’t just for show. They’re also pretty keen on catching people using their phones or, for some bizarre reason, grabbing the steering wheel as if they're in a car chase scene.

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With AI cameras now watching the roads, drivers in Devon and Cornwall might want to rethink their casual relationship with seat belts. Because if the AI doesn’t catch you, the police will.

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