“Belt up and switch off” Mayor issues urgent warning as AI camera spots nearly 19,000 driving violations in just two weeks

An AI-powered road safety trial in the West Midlands has captured almost 19,000 alarming images in just two weeks showing motorists risking lives by driving without seatbelts or while using mobile phones.

And now, having seen the scale of the problem, the Mayor of the West Midlands has warned to belt up and switch off their phones to save lives and avoid prosecution.

Among the shocking images captured is a front-seat passenger with a small child on their lap with no seatbelt, leaving the toddler completely unprotected in the event of a collision. It is one of dozens of images of children being driven without age-appropriate restraints. 

In another case a driver was captured holding their mobile phone with both hands, eyes on the screen rather than the road. 

Mobile phone use is linked to 32 deaths and unbuckled seatbelts to 133 deaths on UK roads according to road safety data for 2025. Approximately 2,000 motorists a year in the West Midlands are fined and given penalty points for driving while using a mobile phone.

The two-week trial took place in March using state-of-the-art AI camera systems set up outside Ladywood and Fallings Park fire stations in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Initial image scans found:

• Ladywood: 11,144 potential non-use of seat belt offences and 1,163 potential mobile phone use offences.
• Fallings Park: 6,081 potential seatbelt offences and 757 potential mobile phone offences.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The number of people risking their own lives and the lives of others, including some very young children, is frankly shocking and far higher than we expected when setting up the trial.

“The law is clear on seatbelts and mobile phones. I’ve met families who have lost loved ones to reckless driving,They never recover from these tragedies; the grief is always there. People need to stop doing this, it is simply not worth the risk.

“As we review these results with our Road Safety Partnership and look to next steps, I promise to use every resource available, including new technology like this, to make our streets safer for everyone.”

The trial was funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in collaboration with the police and fire services. 

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and chair of the road safety partnership board, Simon Foster, said: "These initial findings are deeply concerning. Let me be absolutely clear: reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads remains our absolute top priority.

 "We are closely evaluating these trial results to consider how this advanced AI technology can be deployed for future police enforcement.

 “We cannot tolerate reckless behaviour that puts lives at risk, and we will use every effective tool at our disposal to ensure our roads are safer."

The technology is developed and supplied by AECOM/Acusensus and its accuracy was checked by human operators using a sample of 8,024 images.

Because it was a trial there was no follow up enforcement of the violations this time. The exercise was intended in the first instance to help understand the potential scale of the problem.

Cutting the numbers of seatbelt and mobile phone violations are key outcomes for the National Road Safety Strategy published by the Department for Transport last year.

Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner said: “Mobile phone use at the wheel and failing to wear a seatbelt are two of the leading causes of death and serious injury on our road network, and yet you barely have to leave your front door before you see someone taking these potentially lethal risks.

“Our work with this cutting-edge technology shows we will stop at nothing to stamp out such behaviours, fostering a safer culture of driving on our streets and preventing yet more families going through the anguish of losing a loved one to avoidable tragedy.”

Superintendent Keeley Bevington, from the region’s roads policing unit said: "West Midlands Police works in partnership towards Vision Zero the ambition to stop people being killed and seriously injured on our roads.

“Enforcement and education around seatbelts and mobile phones, two of the 'fatal 5’ offences, is so important and we know only too well how mobile phone, use while driving, is a distraction that contributes to road traffic collisions where people are killed or seriously injured. "

Paul Manzotti, co-chair of campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham, said “These trial results highlight the severe road safety challenge facing the West Midlands and Birmingham’s declared emergency.

“Better Streets for Birmingham calls for comprehensive enforcement – using every tool available – alongside safer streets and upgraded transport so everyone gets home safely”.