Quick Answer
Sussex Police launched AI camera technology today, Monday 13 April 2026, designed to automatically detect drivers using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt. The cameras went live as part of Operation Spotlight, a national roads policing campaign. Over the last three years, 82 people have been involved in collisions on Sussex roads where a driver was using a mobile phone.
What Brighton Drivers Need to Know Today
The cameras are supplied by Acusensus, an Australian technology company already operating systems across more than ten UK police forces. Sussex is the latest addition to a national rollout that has been quietly expanding since trials began in 2024. The technology captures two images of each passing vehicle — one at a shallow angle to detect phone use and seatbelt compliance, one wider shot to capture additional behaviour. When the AI flags a potential offence, a human officer reviews the footage before any enforcement action is taken. There is no flash, no warning, and no indication to the driver that they have been caught.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
The statistics that prompted the rollout are stark. Over the past three years, 82 people have been involved in collisions on Sussex roads where a driver was using a mobile phone. A further 214 people have been injured in crashes linked to seatbelt non-compliance. A previous trial by National Highways on the A23 in Sussex detected 450 offences across just five days — 330 for seatbelt violations, 118 for mobile phone use, and 10 for both simultaneously.
Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner, who is also the roads policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said communities across Sussex had made clear they were tired of seeing people using phones while driving. She described distracted driving and seatbelt non-compliance as two of the five most common causes of fatal and serious injury collisions on Sussex roads.
What Happens If You’re Caught
Drivers caught using a handheld phone face a £200 fine and six penalty points — penalties that doubled several years ago but which enforcement levels have struggled to match until now. The cameras will be funded through Sussex Police’s road safety recovery costs, which includes proceeds from speed awareness courses.
Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said the technology would allow Sussex Police to deploy resources more effectively and reach more locations across the county than traditional enforcement allows. The cameras are mobile — mounted on roadside trailers rather than fixed gantries — meaning their locations will change without notice.
For Brighton and Hove drivers, the message is simple: the roads you drive every day are now being watched by a system that does not get tired, does not get distracted, and does not miss much.
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