I walked past an AI radar and found myself doing one thing | UK

Speed cameras are becoming more sophisticated, making it even more difficult for drivers to break the traffic laws. Recently, new speed cameras have been deployed in various locations as part of a new crackdown.

A journalist happened to come across some of these so-called “smart” cameras and they immediately caught his attention. People are used to the old-fashioned yellow cameras installed on the side of the road.

But many of these dilapidated structures have been out of use for years. They remain in place to deter motorists and keep them on their toes.

However, new cameras have returned to some roads – and they are fully operational.

They are equipped with enhanced digital technology, making them more effective at catching speedsters – apparently making overtaking them stressful.

These cameras can also detect whether drivers are using their mobile phones or not wearing their seatbelts. Birmingham Live editor Richard Guttridge was recently driving on the A449 in Stafford, one of the first places to have these new ‘smart’ cameras installed.

He spotted them from a distance. Richard said they didn’t look like the old cameras – they were fresh, contemporary, sort of avant-garde.

Unlike older cameras, these feature a traditional camera combined with a smaller measuring device.

Richard says he always drives the speed limit, but the presence of these cameras put him under even more pressure. Having reported on the devices, he knew they were equipped with cutting-edge technology and had caught hundreds of drivers speeding.

Suddenly he finds himself hyper-aware of his speed, his eyes fixed on the speedometer, making sure he’s going under 30mph, as if expecting to be caught out or to accelerate nervously like Lewis Hamilton. Above all, Richard says, he wanted to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake.

He said it seemed like other vehicles in front of him were doing the same thing, slowing down traffic. Driving requires a lot of concentration and it’s surprising how often you check your speed, Richard said.

It’s easy to go over the speed limit, especially if the car in front of you is going a little faster than they should or if you’re driving downhill. Richard said he would never use his phone while driving, but he made sure it was well out of reach.

Many drivers are unaware that touching your phone while driving is now an offence, which can result in a fine and points. However, Richard managed to drive past the camera without being injured, only to encounter another set of cameras a few hundred metres further down the road!

This is clearly a problematic stretch identified by the police, so he had to go through the same routine: check the speedometer, make sure he was going under 30mph, both hands on the wheel, not touching his phone.

Speed cameras have long been considered a symbol of road safety. When operational, they force drivers to strictly adhere to set speed limits, even temporarily.

The looming spectre of severe fines or demerit points is prompting motorists to ease off the accelerator pedal. Recognised for their effectiveness in promoting compliance with legal speed limits, these devices deserve the support of public authorities and should be deployed on a large scale.

Yet passing a speed camera often provokes a sense of unease comparable to that felt under the inflexible gaze of a school principal patrolling the corridors of a school or a burly bouncer guarding the entrance to a nightclub. Drivers find themselves openly demonstrating their respect for the rules while chanting inwardly “nothing to see here.”

Such vigilance may need to become second nature; with the advent of AI cameras on motorways and highways, coupled with the eagerness of police forces to install as many as budgetary constraints allow, smart cameras are poised to dominate the landscape in the fight against speeding.