NEW SPEED CAMERAS SET TO CATCH THOUSAND OF DISTRACTED DRIVERS

Drivers have been warned that thousands face convictions for illegal mobile phone use as the latest high-tech speed cameras continue to be rolled out nationwide. A new government study analysed by Road Angel has revealed that as many as 400,000 Brits could be caught and punished as authorities adopt the new tech. The new 'spot' cameras capable of detecting mobile phone use while driving are currently being installed on 25 routes in the north of England following successful trials in Greater Manchester Devon, Cornwall and Wales. With transport chiefs promising a national rollout, it looks likely that these new high-tech cameras will become standard all over Britain catching thousands of unsuspecting drivers. Of all vehicle drivers, the study shows that 0.3% were observed using a mobile phone while driving, rising to 0.8% in the evenings with similar proportions in England and Scotland. This estimates that 150,000 to 400,000 of the 50 million British drivers are still using handheld devices illegally while behind the wheel. Compared with the latest MoJ figures, only 13,332 people were caught and punished for using a handheld device in 2023. This represents a 90% increase from the previous year as the new cameras started to be trialled in parts of the country, catching more motorists. However, the number of drivers caught is set to skyrocket as the speed cameras capable of seeing inside vehicles are rolled out across Britain. Transport Scotland has already signed a deal worth almost half a million pounds for installation across Glasgow and Edinburgh with the rest of the UK set to follow. Doubling as a red light camera, the VECTOR-SR can also snap motorists who aren't wearing a seatbelt. The new cameras have been highly effective in catching speeding motorists across multiple lanes in both directions. Early trials in Devon last year saw four of the new cameras snare 3,280 drivers for speeding in just two weeks as motorists unfamiliar with the new cameras, see them for the first time. Lacking the traditional box-like structure of older speed cameras they are harder to spot and don't require road markings or a flash to record motorists breaking the law. Drivers caught holding and using a handheld device behind the wheel can get 6 penalty points and a £200 fine, rising to £1000 and a driving ban if taken to court.