Could new AI technology make speeding on the roads impossible?

Interview with Dr Steve McCabe

Transcript

00:00A notable rise in accidents, some resulting in serious injuries and fatalities, has been

00:07linked to these dangerous behaviours.

00:11Campaigns and law enforcement crackdowns have intensified, yet the persistence of such driving

00:17habits suggests that more needs to be done.

00:20The introduction of new technologies, including increased use of speed cameras and stricter

00:25penalties, aims to curb this trend.

00:28However, the challenge of changing driver attitudes and ensuring compliance with safety

00:34regulations continues to be a pressing issue for road safety authorities.

00:39The fact is that the cars will be doing the driving for us.

00:43I also think, you talk about motorways, that of course we have this issue, low traffic

00:48neighbourhoods and the fact that surrounding schools, 20mph limits and maybe even less

00:52than that.

00:53So of course if the car is making the decision making, provided of course you can't bypass

00:57that, then of course the system will effectively control the speeds you can go at.

01:02In the UK, speed control technology like speed cameras and automated enforcement systems

01:08are becoming more common to curb reckless driving.

01:12Now while effective in reducing speeding, the widespread use of cameras has sparked

01:18concerns about privacy and civil liberties.

01:21Critics argue that constant muntering can infringe on personal freedoms.

01:26We fear that surveillance data might be misused.

01:30As these technologies evolve, balancing road safety with the protection of individual privacy

01:36remains a key challenge.

01:38Quite clearly of course, people will see this as a limitation on their civil liberties in

01:44the fact that every time they go out in their car, they're being monitored and quite clearly

01:48every time they break the speed limit, then of course they could find themselves being

01:52hit by speeding tickets.

01:54But hey, as I say, that's the nature of automated technology and I think we're going to have

01:58to get used to it.