Does anyone remember playing “I Spy” on family road trips?
If so, you probably grew up in the pre-digital age, before mobile phones and tablets, when the best form of entertainment was looking out the window.
Now, whether they like it or not, drivers are taking part in a new game of “I Spy.”
Thanks to new AI-enabled cameras, police can now not only determine if a driver is speeding, but they can also peer inside the car to look for evidence of other violations, like cell phone use (or simply having it on your lap) or not wearing a seat belt.
Welcome to the robot nanny highway.
The cameras, developed by Australian company Acusensis, are already in use in several British cities and are due to be rolled out nationwide, despite opposition from privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch. Call the camera “It’s disturbing and creepy.”
Not to worry, supporters of the cameras say: The actual officers only have access to anonymized images, and those images are only linked to the vehicle registration if they decide to bring charges.
In other words, if you’re doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear from your faceless AI overlords.
Other companies are also vying for the surveillance state’s attention. Germany’s Ienoptic’s Vector-SR camera uses radar to track two lanes of traffic in both directions. Because the camera doesn’t emit a flash, drivers often don’t realize they’ve been caught speeding.
Following the trials in Manchester, Ienoptic’s cameras will be rolled out across the UK.
Redspeed International’s Sentio cameras use 4D radar technology and can also check records to ensure vehicles are properly registered and insured. The cameras are operational in around 1,000 locations across the UK.
Nine US states have completely banned speed cameras: Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Some states that allowed red speed cameras are having second thoughts. Red speed cameras have been used throughout Georgia since 2018 to enforce speed limits in school zones. Critics say Because the cameras are prone to malfunction, the private companies that operate them tend to try to issue as many tickets as possible.
States now have access to billions of dollars in funding for speed cameras under Biden’s infrastructure bill, the same law that gave us the kill switches I mentioned earlier.
The U.S. Department of Transportation thinks Americans should be grateful for all the “attention” they get while driving. National Road Safety Strategy:
Speeding increases both the frequency and severity of crashes, yet it persists and is widely accepted as the norm among the traveling public… Speed enforcement, if deployed fairly and applied appropriately on roads where the risk of harm from speeding is greatest, can have significant safety benefits and save lives.
As the saying goes, results vary. If you have a problem with spying, let your state, county, city and town elected officials know now.
