Why Police Scotland is right to use AI to catch law-breaking motorists

However, when the government passes a law forcing us to do something, they usually – usually – have a good reason to do so. The requirement to wear a seatbelt while travelling in a car and the ban on mobile phone use while driving are two particularly pertinent examples.

Drivers are four times more likely to be in an accident while using their phone and twice as likely to die if they do not wear a seatbelt. Despite this, both offences are committed on a regular basis on Scotland’s roads.

Civil liberties concerns

Many people may imagine that the need to wear a seatbelt is now universally accepted and complied with. So they may be shocked to learn that 18 per cent – nearly a fifth – of those killed in car accidents were not wearing one.

It is with these figures in mind that Police Scotland is to launch a trial of AI technology that uses camera footage to spot drivers using their mobile and those who are not wearing a seatbelt. This follows similar pilots on major roads in England.

When CCTV cameras were first introduced, there were concerns about civil liberties that have largely died down. Police use of AI technology raises similar concerns. However, in cases like these, it seems clear where the balance should lie.

Time to grow up

Failing to wear a seatbelt is a potentially fatal mistake. Everyone who died because of this would much rather they had obeyed the law. A driver distracted by their mobile phone poses a lethal risk to themselves and other road users.

So for those who rail against the ‘nanny state’ or ignore these laws in the complacent belief it will ‘never happen to them’, it’s time to grow up. And if they do not, ‘nanny’ – in the form of the justice system – is more than entitled to impose serious sanctions.