On the pages of Devon and Cornwall Police and National Highways, an AI camera is a camera that looks into the car for a hand-held phone or a missing seat belt, rather than one that reads your speed. Artificial intelligence flags a possible offence in the images, and a person checks it before a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution is sent. This guide sets out, from official pages, what they detect, where they have been used and what follows; ordinary cameras are in the four types of speed camera.
What an AI camera detects
Devon and Cornwall Police describes its AI camera on Gdynia Way in Plymouth as detecting mobile phone offences and drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt. Devon County Council said in 2022 that the images of the multi-camera Acusensus system are processed by artificial intelligence, and that the system can also determine a vehicle's speed. GoSafe in Wales does not describe its equipment as AI, but says its mobile enforcement cameras can detect speed, mobile phone and seatbelt offences at the same time.
Southend-on-Sea City Council, on 16 April 2026, described a Redspeed Sentio camera on a dual carriageway, part of an "Essex-wide road safety trial" run by the Safer Essex Road Partnership and Essex Police, as configured to measure speed only. It says the technology can also detect red-light, phone and seat belt offences, but not in this trial. The council's page does not call the camera AI.
Where the AI cameras have been used
The words "trial" and "pilot" appear only where the page itself uses them.
| When | Where | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| 23 September 2022 | Devon and Cornwall | Devon County Council: the system is being "trialled", funded by Vision Zero South West and overseen by Devon and Cornwall Police |
| 14 October 2022 | M40 and A46 | National Highways: a "UK-first trial" with a sensor test vehicle, alongside Warwickshire Police. At the time of writing, 122,241 vehicles had been checked in 64 hours, with 152 phone detections and 512 occupants without a seat belt; over 216 notices of intended prosecution from Warwickshire Police |
| Summer 2024 | A361, North Devon | Devon County Council, 24 October 2024: in an "AI camera pilot", 1,799 potential offences in four weeks (1,363 seat belt, 436 phone), each reviewed by officers |
| From 3 October 2024 | Tavistock Road, Plymouth | Plymouth City Council, 2 October 2024: cameras operational from that date, images reviewed by a human |
| Read October 2026 | Gdynia Way, Plymouth | Devon & Cornwall Police: a two-camera Jenoptik system "provided to Devon & Cornwall Police on a trial basis" |
In October 2024 Devon County Council said it was preparing a business case for what it called a three-year AI camera trial; the page does not say whether it went ahead.
How a detection becomes a notice
Devon and Cornwall Police says the Gdynia Way cameras use AI to detect potential offences, but the images are then reviewed by a human. If an offence has been correctly identified, the driver is sent a notice of intended prosecution. For the Acusensus cameras, Devon County Council (2022) and Plymouth City Council (2024) say the driver is sent either a warning letter or a notice of intended prosecution, depending on the severity. Its head of road safety says a driver who is caught can expect a driver education course, or a fine and penalty points; images of complying vehicles are not retained.
What the offences cost
GOV.UK says you can get 6 penalty points and a £200 fine for holding and using a phone, sat nav, tablet or any device that can send and receive data while driving. Hands-free use is allowed if you never hold the device and it does not block your view. For seat belts, GOV.UK says you can be fined up to £500.
The Department for Transport's consultation text says failing to wear a seat belt is not currently an endorsable offence, so it carries no penalty points, and it proposes 3 penalty points for drivers who fail to wear one. The consultation ran from 7 January to 11 May 2026; on 16 October 2026 its page says "We are analysing your feedback" and shows no outcome. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Where the cameras are
National Highways says the cameras police may use on its network to spot hand-held phone use or missing seat belts are not fixed in one place: they are usually mounted on trailers or in vans, and locations are agreed by the police, working with local road safety partnerships and National Highways. It says it is not responsible for enforcement and sends questions to the local police force. Speed camera locations and maps explains what the official maps show; this guide does not list camera positions.
What BlitzBuddy does about it
BlitzBuddy does not detect or report phone or seat belt cameras. It gives no speed camera warnings in the UK, Ireland or any other country outside the five where it warns; your speed, trips and reports from other drivers still work. Camera warnings switch on by themselves on arrival in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France or Türkiye. In Germany, § 23 (1c) StVO forbids drivers to use a speed camera warner while driving; the warnings can be switched off under Profile, Warnings, and the driver is responsible. In France, article R413-15 of the Code de la route punishes holding, carrying or using a device that can detect or disturb the equipment used to record traffic offences with a fifth-class fine and the loss of six points, and its paragraph V, added by a decree of 3 January 2012, extends this to devices or products meant to warn of or inform about the location of that equipment; using these warnings is the driver's own responsibility. Where speed camera warnings are allowed compares the countries.
BlitzBuddy is free, with no ads and no subscription. It is available for iPhone; the Android version is coming soon.
More guides on the same topic are collected under speed camera guides. How the radar and laser sensors work is in speed camera sensors, what a flash means is in do speed cameras flash.
Sources
- Unsafe driver detected every six minutes during UK-first trial, National Highways, 14 October 2022
- Tackling dangerous driving behaviour, National Highways
- Pioneering cameras that catch drivers on their phone to be trialled in Devon and Cornwall, Devon County Council, 23 September 2022
- AI cameras could be used to help save lives on a North Devon road, Devon County Council, 24 October 2024
- AI cameras to monitor Tavistock Road for seatbelt and mobile phone offences, Plymouth City Council, 2 October 2024
- New AI camera for Plymouth collision hotspot, Devon & Cornwall Police, read October 2026
- Speed enforcement camera aims to reduce road traffic collisions on busy Southend dual carriageway near school, Southend-on-Sea City Council, 16 April 2026
- Our cameras, GoSafe
- Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving, GOV.UK
- Seat belts: the law, GOV.UK
- Proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, Department for Transport (closed consultation)
- Proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences: full consultation text, Department for Transport
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung, § 23, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German)
- Commentaire de la décision n° 2021-948 QPC, Conseil constitutionnel (in French; quotes article R413-15)
- Permis de conduire : barème des points retirés par infraction, Service-Public (in French, verified 27 February 2026)
Sources read on 16 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do AI speed cameras catch speeding?
The AI cameras described by Devon and Cornwall Police and National Highways look for hand-held phone use and missing seat belts. Devon County Council said in 2022 that the Acusensus system can also determine the speed a vehicle was travelling at.
What do the UK's AI cameras detect?
Devon and Cornwall Police says the AI camera on Gdynia Way in Plymouth detects mobile phone offences and drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt. National Highways said in 2022 that its AI test vehicle looked for the same two offences.
Do I get a fine straight from the AI camera?
No. Devon and Cornwall Police says a human reviews the images the AI flags; if an offence is correctly identified, the driver is sent a notice of intended prosecution. Council pages on the Acusensus cameras mention a warning letter or a notice, depending on the severity.
What is the penalty for using a phone or not wearing a seat belt?
GOV.UK says holding and using a phone while driving can mean 6 penalty points and a £200 fine, and not wearing a seat belt a fine of up to £500. The Department for Transport consulted on 3 points for seat belts from 7 January to 11 May 2026 and has not yet published an outcome.
