Police drones to spy on motorists from four miles away for road safety in England and Wales first

Police drones are now being used to tackle ‘bad driving’ at a distance of nearly four miles from motorists, a first for England and Wales.

Police in Devon and Cornwall are now using the machines to monitor speeds and record dangerous driving on ‘high damage routes’ and will be targeting motorcyclists in particular.

Road safety initiative Vision Zero South Westwho is working with police, says the operation comes after a spate of clashes in 2022 that resulted in the death or serious injury of more than 200 motorcyclists in the two counties.

Drones will help calculate vehicle speed by using fixed points on the road and recording live video of all incidents, with Sergeant Chris Linzey noting that the footage could also be played back to the drivers, as the “camera not lie’.

Launched last week as part of National Motorcycle Safety Week, police say it is the first time the machines have been used for road safety in England and Wales.

Devon and Cornwall Police are now using the machines to monitor speeds and record dangerous driving on ‘high damage routes’ and will target motorcyclists in particular

Road safety initiative Vision Zero South West, which is working with police, says the operation comes after a spate of collisions in 2022 that resulted in the death or serious injury of more than 200 motorcyclists in the two counties

When a vehicle is detected breaking the law, the details are passed on to officers on the ground, allowing the police to check the MOT, tax and insurance status of the motorcycle and whether it has been reported stolen.

Nearby speed officers will then use calibrated laser cameras to accurately record the vehicle’s speed before the driver or rider is pulled over by police traffic officers.

Depending on the observed violation, the offending motorcyclist will receive advice, referral to specific training or a fine and penalty points.

In more serious cases, riders will be reported to the court for prosecution or arrested on the spot.

Chief of Roads Policing at Devon and Cornwall Police and Superintendent Ben Asprey is also part of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership motorcycle task force.

Ch Insp Asprey said: “Unfortunately last year was a terrible year for serious and fatal collisions involving motorcyclists. In 2022, 16 motorcyclists were killed on the roads of Devon and Cornwall – the highest number in the last five years. Another 187 were seriously injured.

Although motorcyclists make up less than 1 percent of total traffic, they are responsible for about a third of all serious and fatal collisions in our region.

“But it’s important to remember that these aren’t just numbers, these are people’s loved ones — parents, sons, daughters, friends and partners — and we’re committed to bringing those numbers down.”

“Speed ​​and inappropriate driving behavior were major contributors to the motorcycle collisions we witnessed. Traveling too fast will shorten your time to react and significantly increase your risk of death or serious injury.

Drones will help calculate vehicle speed by using fixed points on the road and recording live video of all incidents, with Sergeant Chris Linzey noting that the footage could also be played back to the drivers, as the “camera doesn’t lie’

Launched as part of National Motorcycle Safety Week (3 – 9 April), police say it is the first time the machines have been used for road safety in England and Wales

When a vehicle is detected breaking the law, details are passed to officers on the scene, allowing police to check the MOT, tax and insurance status of the bike and if it has been reported stolen

“Many of these serious collisions do not involve other road users, which means that inappropriate driving behavior and motorcyclist errors are also an important factor.

‘Motorcyclists are already a vulnerable group of road users, not least because they are considerably less protected than drivers of cars or other vehicles. Preventing further unnecessary loss of life is our top priority.”

Devon and Cornwall Police have invested heavily in state-of-the-art drone technology, with equipment that can operate in high and low temperatures and variable weather conditions. They are also equipped with high-resolution cameras with far-reaching zoom lenses.

Inspector Colin Harper of Devon and the Cornwall Police Drone Team explained why the use of drones is a breakthrough in this project.

Insp Harper said: ‘This innovative use of drones will give us early warning of violations and allow us to be much more focused in our approach on the ground.

“We will deploy this technology on roads where we know motorcycles are speeding, and also around dates and locations where motorcycle events are scheduled.

“This technology can and will be used to detect speeding and dangerous driving behavior in all vehicles on our roads. At the moment we are focusing on motorcyclists who, according to our data, are most at risk, especially at this time of year when more motorcyclists are hitting the road again after winter.”