New AI cameras which can see inside vehicles could soon be installed across UK roads after a successful trial.
The new detectors were rolled out on selected routes across Devon and Cornwall last October with hundreds of road users caught out by the new driving law.
The technology can scan inside cars and can detect if motorists are using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
The tool can even show whether a road user is breaking other driving laws such as not wearing a seatbelt.
Over 300 people were caught by the toll in its first few days of use with over 600 offences recorded over the trial period.
The detectors caught a whopping 590 people not wearing seatbelts and 40 people driving while using a mobile phone.
The Acusensus system is equipped with multiple cameras with photos quickly reviewed by officers.
Depending on the circumstances, the driver affected will be sent a warning letter or immediately punished.
Kate Goldsmith’s daughter Aimee was killed when an HGV driver, Tomasz Kroker, ploughed into the back of her car while scrolling through music.
Ms Goldsmith has since campaigned with the AA Charitable Trust to raise awareness of the dangers of using a phone behind the wheel.
She said: “The use of mobiles at the wheel has been illegal for 20 years. My daughter Aimee died because of such actions more than seven years ago, yet we still see people on the phone daily.
“I have campaigned for years to highlight the dangers of mobile phone use. I even went out with road traffic officers, telling my story to the drivers they stopped. I thought, if I can just save one person, then that’s good enough. But it’s not good enough. Surely, we can do better than that?
“Take it from me the consequences of such actions don’t bear thinking about and never disappear.” New research from the AA Charitable Trust reveals that 93 percent of road users have seen someone use a phone behind the wheel.
However, the number of fixed penalty notices for using a device has dramatically fallen from 162,400 in 2011 to only 19,700 last year.
The AA Trust is now calling for the AI detectors to be rolled out as soon as possible after the success of the trial. The lower number of punishments has created a toxic culture with road users confident they will get away with penalties.
Almost half of respondents (49 percent) thought it was unlikely they would get caught using a handheld mobile phone.
