Concern over ‘game changing’ smartphone app to gather video evidence of speeding

The SpeedCam Anywhere app allows members of the public to use their smartphones to gather evidence of speeding vehicles for submission to police for processing and enforcement.

It takes a short video clip of a passing vehicle, which is uploaded to the artificial intelligence (AI) server. It claims that 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, as well as generating road safety reports and identifying speeding hotspots”.

The app is currently being trialled by volunteers from the charity 20’s Plenty For Us, which campaigns for lower speed limits.

The charity says the app essentially gathers video evidence and does not in itself determine the speed of the vehicle. It is the analysis report which shows the location, speed limit, time and details together with photos of the vehicle, including numberplate, as it passes with key times together with the speed. The video snip is also available as primary evidence, together with a witness statement for signing.

Rod King, founder and campaign director for 20’s Plenty for Us commented: “By allowing communities and local authorities to submit clear and unambiguous evidence of careless and inconsiderate driving this technology will be a game-changer in speed limit enforcement.

“It allows police forces to align with community needs for compliance without imposing an increased load on the police.

“We expect it to be welcomed by all those interested in making our communities safer.”

But Road Safety Support, which provides expert forensic video analysis to many 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 Road Safety Support’s ISO 17025 accredited speed calibration laboratory, said: “We think that this concept is based on what is, in part, a sound principle, however, we feel that before any approval is given to it or it is used by the police, that a proof-of-concept test is performed to demonstrate the system and its capabilities.

“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.

“From my understanding of the measurement technique and the intended deployment on multiple phones, Home Office Type Approval would be challenging.”

Road Safety Support chairman Meredydd Hughes added: “New technologies such as AI offer great potential for increasing road safety through wider enforcement, as well as for more active traffic management generally. For the public to accept that prosecutions are fair, they need to know that the equipment is accurate and being used correctly.

“The Home Office Type Approval 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.

“Additionally, 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.

“We at Road Safety Support are helping by offering training and support to forces to deal with this material. As a recognised laboratory, we are best placed to both enable forces to make greater use of technology, and to ensure that the highest scientific standards are in place to protect the law-abiding motorist.”

Road Safety Support’s ISO 17025 accredited speed calibration laboratory, thought to the only one of its kind worldwide, has been approved by UKAS to test and calibrate speed cameras, speedometers, telematics and other speed measurement devices, either at its test track or on any road in the world.

The vast majority of UK police forces, highway authorities and safer roads partnerships, as well as some international forces, are members of Road Safety Support and receive specialist technical and legal advice on a subscription basis.