IAMRoadSmart: Over a third of police use mobile safety camera vans

More than a third of UK police forces used mobile safety camera vans to prosecute over 8,000 drivers for not wearing seatbelts and around 1,000 with a mobile phone in their hand in, according to IAM RoadSmart’s freedom of Information request in 2016. It was submitted to 44 police forces which revealed that 16 of them used pictures from the cameras in their vans to pursue these offences as a matter of routine while a further four did so occasionally.
February 2, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
More than a third of UK police forces used mobile safety camera vans to prosecute over 8,000 drivers for not wearing seatbelts and around 1,000 with a mobile phone in their hand in, according to IAM RoadSmart’s freedom of Information request in 2016. It was submitted to 44 police forces which revealed that 16 of them used pictures from the cameras in their vans to pursue these offences as a matter of routine while a further four did so occasionally.


IAM RoadSmart’s surveys also showed that drivers place enforcing mobile phone laws in second place behind drink and drug driving as a road traffic policing priority with seatbelt use in sixth place.

While some police forces had reservations about using safety cameras or camera vans to record non-speeding offences, IAM Roadsmart highlighted that questio still need to be resolved around Home Office Type and image quality for successful prosecution.

Sarah Sillars, IAM RoadSmart Chief Executive Officer, said: “Drivers should be reassured that the police are using all the tools in their road safety toolkit to address their top worries. For too many drivers it is only the fear of being caught that will stop them putting themselves and others at risk from smartphone distraction. Not wearing a seatbelt also puts an unfair burden on our emergency services who have to deal with the aftermath of such selfish behaviour. If drivers don’t know about this added enforcement technique then its impact will be reduced so the police should have no hesitation in publicising its use.”

“Our research shows that the use of mobile safety camera vans to pursue phone users and seatbelt offenders varies from one force to another. What we need are clear and consistent guidelines on what the cameras are being used for, what training staff are being given and how the images are being used as evidence. The last thing we want to see are resources being wasted or the road safety message being diluted by careless drivers being acquitted”, Sillars added.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • China aims to boost road safety with drink driving crackdown
    April 25, 2012
    The authorities in China claim that tough new laws against drink driving are already having a major benefit for road safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. The latest official statistics reveal a sharp drop in road accidents caused by drink driving over a recent long holiday weekend. The newly amended law imposes harsher punishments on drunk drivers, with police also taking a tough line on enforcement.
    Read More
  • ARTBA president: what happened to the hoverboards?
    October 28, 2019
    What keeps Dave Bauer up at night? David Arminas caught up with the head of ARTBA at his Washington, DC office during daylight hours Dave Bauer doesn’t really have many sleepless nights. He might sleep, though, with one eye open, just in case. “We have become a much more divided country politically,” says Bauer, president of ARTBA – American Road and Transportation Builders Association. “Whether you are thinking about federal government, or state or local government, there’s a hostility now in our politi
    Read More
  • European police target drink and drug driving
    December 7, 2015
    Police officers across Europe have begun a week-long campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drink and drug driving, co-ordinated by the European Traffic Police Network TISPOL. Drivers can expect highly visible and widespread enforcement of alcohol and drug laws during the operation, at any location and at any time of day or night. TISPOL president Aidan Reid says: “Driving after consuming even a small amount of alcohol is dangerous. Drivers will experience slower reactions, poor judgement of
    Read More
  • US traffic fatalities fall in 2014, but early estimates show 2015 trending higher
    December 22, 2015
    The US saw a slight decline in traffic deaths during 2014, according to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, an increase in estimated fatalities during the first six months of this year reveals a need to reinvigorate the fight against deadly behaviour on America's roads, NHSA says.
    Read More

Highlighted Content