The velocity cameras that may catch you driving on the telephone

The introduction of new speed camera technology is effectively helping to snare more drivers illegally using their mobile phones behind the wheel.

The number motorists in England and Wales caught and punished for using a handheld device in 2023 soared by 90 per cent compared to the year previous, according to analysis by the AA.

The motoring group believes an increased in use of the latest hi-tech speed cameras has bolstered enforcement of this particular offence.

*Read below to find out which three speed cameras can already catch motorists on the phone

Official figures show that the number of convictions for using a phone at the wheel reached a seven year high in 2023.

Ministry of Justice stats say 13,332 drivers were found guilty at court for the offence last year, up from 6,990 motorists in 2022 – meaning a year-on-year spike of 90 per cent.

Laws around the use of a mobile phone by drivers was tightened in March 2022, essentially banning motorists from touching a device while on the move – as well as increasing penalties.

Any motorist caught handling a mobile phone behind the wheel now faces a fine of £200 and six penalty points on their licence.

In order to close loopholes in the law, the Government also expanded the definition of ‘using’ a device while driving to include handling a phone in any way, from touching the screen to scroll a music playlist, browse the internet, take a photograph or play a mobile game – and these rules apply when stopped at a red light or stuck in traffic.

The only exceptions are for making calls to emergency services when there is no safe place to pull over and to use contactless payments like Apple Pay at fast-food drive-throughs and to pay tolls, while hands-free calls are also still permitted.

Despite the crackdown, many drivers are continuing to break the law. 

Fortunately, more are being caught doing so. 

The AA believes convictions have increased in the last year thanks to the inception of new roadside cameras.

It also believes fresh tactics deployed by police forces and local authorities across the country – such as covert HGV’s prowling motorways for drivers using phones and targeted periods of enforcement – have contributed to the rise.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for The AA, told This is Money: ‘Despite a high-profile change in the law, it seems many drivers are still falling foul when it comes to using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

‘Better cameras that can detect more offences is a good thing as it tightens up the rules of the road.

‘However, technology can only do so much and is unable to stop someone in the act. 

‘As part of The AA’s Motoring Manifesto, we have called for more cops in cars to catch people in the act and make our roads safer.’

Speed cameras that can catch drivers on the phone

Currently, there are at least 18 different types of speed camera being used across Britain. 

Three of these are not only capable of catching motorists over the legal limit, they can also detect other offences such as handling a phone, not wearing a seatbelt, running a red light and even tailgating another road user.

Here’s what each one looks like, how it works and what it can catch drivers doing… 

1. Jenoptik VECTOR-SR speed camera

The VECTOR-SR has been dubbed an ‘ultra’ speed camera due to it being the most advanced of its kind yet.

Having received approval for use in Britain back in 2019, it looks and works very differently to typical roadside cameras.

The cameras are elevated high up on a long pole designed to deter vandals from attacking them – however many have already been cut down by angry motorists. 

It can double as both a speed camera and one that can record motorists committing other offences.

It uses a video-based system that works in tandem with an intelligent virtual grid to judge if a driver is speeding. This means there is no need for sensors to be dug into the road, which is costly and requires road closures for their installation. Yet another reason why it is very attractive to cash-strapped police forces and local authorities.

Measurements from the radar technology is then validated by secondary independent and image-based evidence.

That means there is no need for road markings – which have typically been one of the biggest tell-tale signs to let drivers know the whereabouts of speed cameras – sometimes making them difficult to spot.

The system uses infra-red technology which allows images to be captured via still photos and video recordings, which eliminates the need for a camera flash, even at night and in bad weather.

Unlike previous cameras which only capture vehicles travelling in left-hand lanes, the new model captures up to three lanes of traffic going in both directions. This means one installation can enforce an entire section of road.

It will also be able to identify speeding vehicles and their owners quickly, too, as it has built-in Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) tech that can cross-reference with the DVLA’s database to name the registered keeper.

And because the camera records footage of a driver breaking the limit, any visual evidence showing motorists driving without a seatbelt or using a mobile phone can be used to enforce these offences too.

2. Aecom mobile AI speed camera

The Aecom is a mobile camera that is very different to the conventional police camera van at the side of the road. The ‘Big Brother’ vehicle is the brainchild of National Highways.

It is designed in a way that it can catch a multitude of offences, including speeding.

It was first trialled by Warwickshire Police in 2022 with great success, and is being put through its paced by a number of different constabularies.

The van can travel to speeding hotspots and pull up at the roadside. A large metal structure then extends from the roof to create a mobile overhead gantry with cameras and the latest in surveillance tech at an elevated position.

It can also be transported on the back of a custom trailer, which is then fixed to the roadside to allow van to drive away to conduct other duties. 

Humberside Police and forces in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire have deployed this trailered version this year. 

The system uses multiple cameras with high shutter speeds, an infra-red flash and a lensing and filtering system that can record high-definition images of passing vehicles.

Not only does this provide technology to capture speeding motorists, the cameras – using artificial intelligence (AI) – can also determine if motorists are using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel or if a driver – or passenger – isn’t wearing a seatbelt.

The van is also capable of being kitted with additional technology to detect tailgating offences, although this system does not form part of the trials in Warwickshire, the authorities said.

The Government’s major roads department says the hi-tech van is first being used to ‘understand the scale of the problem around these dangerous motoring offences’, though suggest similar technology-packed vehicles could be distributed across the country to ‘boost road safety’.

3. Long Ranger mobile speed camera 

Police forces since 2018 have been using a new long-range camera that can catch motorists speed from over half a mile away. It’s been dubbed the ‘Long Ranger’ but some constabularies.

It can capture speeding drivers at one kilometre (0.6 miles), making it the longest distance speed enforcer currently in use.

Because of its sniper-like long-distance capabilities, it could be too late for drivers to spot one being used in a roadside camera van further up the road.

And it’s not just speed that the long ranger can detect.

It’s also used for catching tailgaters, middle-lane hoggers, drivers not wearing seatbelts and anyone using a phone behind the wheel.

Driving without tax also at an all-time high

Analysis of the MoJ figures by the AA also identified that driving without vehicle tax rose to an all-time high of 99,694 convictions, a year-on-year increase of 94 per cent. 

‘It is concerning that driving without tax almost doubled in a year,’ Cousens said.

‘While too early to tell if this rise is related to the cost of living, the high conviction rates should serve as a deterrent not to dodge paying for a virtual tax disc.’

Similarly, drivers failing to comply with red lights and signs were at a 12-year high of 11,940 guilty verdicts.

Elsewhere, court cases for speeding offences fell by 8 per cent with more than 203,500 guilty verdicts handed to drivers. 

When looking at motor insurance cases, driving a vehicle without insurance fell to 71,458 last year (76,390 in 2022), but keeping a vehicle without insurance reaching a four year high (58,690 in 2023 vs 40,392 in 2022).

Drink and drug driving related cases, seatbelt offences and driving whilst disqualified also remained at similar levels to 2022.

In total, 732,758 drivers were in the dock for motoring related offences with 672,901 being found guilty – a conviction rate of 92 per cent, showing that drivers sat in front of a judge or magistrate are unlikely to get away with it. 

Motoring offences also took up the lion’s share of the courts time, with three in every five cases being for driving misdemeanours, the MoJ stats suggest.