The bill of the Ministry of Transport that will allow cameras with artificial intelligence to report drivers for holding a mobile phone in their hand or not wearing a seat belt has been put to public consultation.
The ministry, in cooperation with the Police, intends to install fixed cameras in parts of the cities, which through AI will record violations beyond speed and for belt or mobile phone use while driving. Today, the existing cameras do not have the ability to record these violations of drivers.
In order for someone to be reported for not using a seat belt or for using a mobile phone, they must first commit another violation, either speeding or passing at a red light. The new legislation that is being promoted will not concern existing fixed or mobile cameras that anyway work with another program and do not support artificial intelligence.
The new offenses will be recorded by cameras that will have a program to detect such violations and from the analysis of the image that the system will make on its own, it will be shown whether someone is driving with a mobile phone or without a seatbelt. With the bill that was recently put to public consultation, the Traffic Offences (Use of Photo-Marking Devices and Other Related Matters) (Amendment) Law of 2027 is amended and will be read together with the Traffic Offences (Use of Photo-Marking Devices and Other Related Matters) Laws of 2001 to 2026 (hereinafter referred to as "the Basic Law") and the Basic Law and this Law will be referred to together as the Traffic Offences (Use of Photo-Marking Devices) and Other Related Matters) Laws of 2001 to 2027.
According to the amendment, the following two offenses will be included in the defined offenses of the Basic Law:
i. Unlawful use of a mobile phone or other communication device while driving in violation of Regulation 58(14)(a) of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulations 1984 or any other law or regulations amending or replacing it.
ii. Failure to use the seat belt in contravention of the seatbelt use provisions of Sections 14, 15 and 15A of the Road Safety Act 1986 or any other law or regulations amending or replacing it
iii. Self-disclosure infringements
As provided by the bill, the device will be activated when the vehicle passes through a ray of light or wave, only when a mobile phone or other communication device is illegally used while driving or the seat belt is not used.
It is noted that according to the plans, the first AI-powered camera will be placed on Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia, when the current legislation is passed.
