Plea to motorists in Wiltshire to consider safety when behind the wheel
Almost 150 road offences were spotted on day one of a road safety trial
A staggering 146 driving offences were captured by AI-powered safety cameras in Wiltshire on day one of National Highways trial.
Head of Roads Policing, Will Ayres, says the sheer number of people taking unnecessary risks is 'very concerning'.
He told Greatest Hits Radio the Force took the opportunity to be part of the trial to 'continue our innovative approach to dealing with road safety matters'.
"We jumped on the chance to be part of this national trial trying to see if these cameras can assist in making the roads of Wiltshire safer," he said.
One the first day of deployment, the cameras found 71 instances of drivers not wearing a seatbelt, while a further 75 people were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel.
Will told us the risks each pose to safety on the road.
"What would potentially be a non injury or a minor injury collision if you're not wearing a seat belt can very very quickly escalate to being a serious or unfortunately a fatality on the road.
"Mobile phones, in particular, are one of the biggest distractions that you can possibly have. You're so engrossed in what's going on, on the phone, you're not taking in any of the warning signs around you on the road network.
"When myself and my colleagues have to go and unfortunately knock on someone's door and tell them that a loved one's not coming home, often because of distraction or failing to wear a seat belt, that is often the hardest part of our job."
Both offences form part of the Fatal 5, something the Force have been taking aim at for a period of time.
Will's pleased with how the cameras are aiding operations so far: "We're really positive that these cameras are identifying, these offences and we're building it into our roads policing strategy to ensure that the roads are as safe as possible in Wiltshire."
He's imploring us to heed his message of safety, and warns drivers that the offence of using a phone whilst driving is a minimum of six points on a license and a £200 penalty.
"They are serious offences. We are actively out there 24 hours a day targeting these offences and we're utilising new modern technologies to try and assist us in the in the patrolling of the roads."