Warning new hi-tech speed cameras will 'penalise many more motorists'

Mobile phone use behind the wheel is illegal

Drivers have been warned that thousands face convictions for illegal mobile phone use as the latest hi-tech speed cameras continue to be rolled out nationwide. A new government study analysed by road safety experts Road Angel has revealed that as many as 400,000 Brits could be caught and punished as authorities adopt the new tech.

The new ‘spot’ cameras capable of detecting mobile phone use while driving are currently being installed on 25 routes in the north of England following successful trials in Greater Manchester Devon, Cornwall and Wales. With transport chiefs promising a national rollout, it looks likely that these new high-tech cameras will become standard all over Britain catching thousands of unsuspecting drivers.

Of all vehicle drivers, the study shows that 0.3% were observed using a mobile phone while driving, rising to 0.8% in the evenings with similar proportions in England and Scotland. This estimates that 150,000 to 400,000 of the 50 million British drivers are still using handheld devices illegally while behind the wheel.

Compared with the latest Ministry of Justice figures, only 13,332 people were caught and punished for using a handheld device in 2023. This represents a 90% increase from the previous year as the new cameras started to be trialled in parts of the country, catching more motorists.

However, the number of drivers caught is set to skyrocket as the speed cameras capable of seeing inside vehicles are rolled out across Britain. Transport Scotland has already signed a deal worth almost half a million pounds for installation across Glasgow and Edinburgh with the rest of the UK set to follow.

Doubling as a red light camera, the VECTOR-SR can also snap motorists who aren’t wearing a seatbelt. The new cameras have been highly effective in catching speeding motorists across multiple lanes in both directions.

Early trials in Devon last year saw four of the new cameras snare 3,280 drivers for speeding in just two weeks as motorists unfamiliar with the new cameras see them for the first time. Lacking the traditional box-like structure of older speed cameras, they are harder to spot and don’t require road markings or a flash to record motorists breaking the law.

Drivers caught holding and using a handheld device behind the wheel can get six penalty points and a £200 fine, rising to £1,000 and a driving ban if taken to court. Gary Digva from Road Angel warns that as newer high-tech alternatives replace the approximate 7,000 speed cameras across Britain, more drivers will likely be convicted for distracted driving.

He said: “Introducing these high-tech cameras is a positive step forward in helping to reduce the number of accidents caused by motorists using handheld devices while driving. By capturing drivers holding and using mobile phones behind the wheel, the new cameras will be able to penalise many more motorists than the old legacy systems are currently able to.

“Despite the number of drivers being observed using handheld devices falling, the recent government study shows that as many as 400,000 Brits could still be breaking the law and putting lives at risk. The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show that convictions of drivers using a handheld device nearly doubled compared to the previous year as new cameras were introduced.

“As the Vector SR and other high-tech cameras capable of seeing inside vehicles replace legacy systems across Britain the number of prosecutions is set to skyrocket. Not only will thousands of drivers illegally using a mobile phone be slapped with a hefty fine of up to £1000, points on your licence and the potential to be disqualified from driving, you’re also seriously putting your own and other road user’s lives in serious danger. Never use a handheld device to text, make calls, take photos or videos, or browse the web while driving, instead use hands-free alternatives that don’t block your view of the road.”