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New Roadside Detection System Will Shame You into Putting Your Phone Down

Using a phone while driving is dangerous and illegal, but that’s not stopping drivers from doing it. Not even heftier fines and penalties seem to do the work, so a new roadside detection system is being implemented in the UK.
Pioneering roadside detection system will try and shame drivers into putting down their phones 14 photos
Photo: SHRM
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Apparently, it will try and “shame” drivers into putting down their phones while at the wheel, Express reports. It will do so by detecting cell phone use and lighting up a new LED road sign.

Whether the drivers will feel any shame at being called out remains to be seen – but the data collected will be forwarded to the police, so at least they will know for certain a ticket will be coming their way in the following days.

The system, now being tested in Norwich, detects digital signals transmitted by a handset inside a vehicle. This applies for calls, texts or browsing online. However, the system won’t be able to tell whether the phone is being used by drivers or passengers in the front seat, so the road sign will light up in both cases.

Developed by Norfolk County Council’s Road Safety team in partnership with Westcotec, the system collects data and forwards it to the police. It won’t be able to record registration numbers for the cars or issue fines, but it will still serve in future crackdowns by the police.

“The aim of the technology is to remind drivers of the law and to get off their phones,” Chris Spinks of Westcotec’s Sales and Marketing team says in a press release.

“We will be using the information to help us target drivers in the future but the message is simple - leave your phone alone whilst you're behind the wheel,” adds Jonathan Chapman, inspector of the Norfolk Roads Policing Unit. “Using a phone at the wheel is one of the fatal four road offenses which can have devastating consequences if it causes a fatal or serious collision.”

If the system proves efficient, there are plans to try it out in other cities and countries as well. Currently, UK drivers caught on their phones behind the wheel face fines of £200 and losing 6 points off their license.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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