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Concerns over new AI app that lets pedestrians shop drivers for speeding

Police forensic video analysis experts have raised concerns about a new smartphone app that claims to gather evidence of speeding and lets pedestrians shop drivers.

The app enables users to take a short video clip of a passing vehicle which is then uploaded to an AI server that measures the vehicle speed from the video and provides a report showing evidence of the vehicle speeding

Currently available on Google Play and with App Store coming soon, the Speedcam Anywhere app enables users to take a short video clip of a passing vehicle which is then uploaded to an AI server.

The firm says the server can measure the vehicle speed from the video, check vehicle speeds against speed limits and provide a report showing evidence of the vehicle speed. It also generates road safety reports and identifies speeding hotspots.

The app doesn’t issue speeding tickets or fines like a conventional speed camera but has been designed to be used to gather evidence of motoring offences, which can then be passed on to the police.

But Road Safety Support, which provides expert forensic video analysis to multiple UK police forces and has helped to bring a number of motorists to justice for dangerous driving and speeding, has expressed concern over the app’s capabilities.

Forensic engineer Steve Callaghan, head of the company’s speed calibration laboratory, said that while the concept is based on a sound principle, it needs a proof-of-concept test to demonstrate the system and its capabilities before it’s given approval or used by the police.

“Currently, there is an apparent gap between the technology and the law. The speed calculation needs to be proven on every occasion because of the way the application assumes that the unknown mobile telephone it is used on is working correctly.”

He added that getting Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) could prove challenging based on the  measurement technique and the intended deployment on multiple phones.

Road Safety Support also said that while new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence offer great potential for increasing road safety through wider enforcement, the public need to know that the equipment is accurate and being used correctly, in order for them to have faith in prosecutions.

Chairman Meredydd Hughes added: “The Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) process acts as this guarantee to the public. Now, in the same way that e-scooters are providing a challenge to the existing rules and regulations of road use, the introduction of new technology is challenging enforcement standards.”

Hughes, a former UK chief constable, also highlighted the ongoing concern of police having enough resources to act on such material.

“The growing use of cameras by ordinary members of the public to record offences and refer them to their local police is great news, but the police need more capacity and the skills to deal with this material effectively and ensure that prosecutions are based on accurate evidence,” he stated.

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.