AI cameras on trial on A361 in Somerset

AI cameras are being trialled on a collision hotspot by Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police in an attempt to reduce dangerous driving. The new state-of-the-art cameras will be positioned on the A361 Frome Bypass which has seen six fatalities in the last five years – four of these between 2023 and 2024. Police are working with Somerset Council’s road safety teams to reduce serious collisions on the road, used by about 15,000 vehicles a day, and the AI cameras are part of an ongoing package of road safety measures.

The cameras, which are already being deployed on major roads across the UK, can detect illegal mobile phone use and careless driving as well as failure to wear a seatbelt. Currently it is proposed that those caught on camera driving unsafely on the A361 will receive a warning letter and educational materials to help them improve their behaviour behind the wheel. Enforcement issues will be considered once the use of the technology has been developed.

The initiative aligns with Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police’s Fatal Five campaign, which focuses on the behaviours most commonly linked with fatal and serious injury collisions: speeding, distraction, seatbelt non-compliance, drink and drug driving, and careless driving.