AI speed cameras for phone use, seatbelts and tailgating: where they are really measuring already

• Italy is testing SafeDrive, a device that checks phone use, seatbelts, insurance and roadworthiness inspection, but does not issue fines
• France allows automatic enforcement by law, yet no speed camera has been approved for it
• In Germany, only the Monocam in Rhineland-Palatinate detects phone violations so far

For several weeks now, reports have been circulating about a new speed camera that is supposedly able to catch drivers committing four offences at once. Sometimes the story is about France, sometimes about Poland or the Czech Republic. The technology does exist. In most countries, however, there is still a big gap between what the devices can do and what they are legally allowed to do. The topic is also relevant for motorcyclists, because following distance and mandatory helmet use are on the list of possible checks as well.

Which system detects four offences at once?

The device that actually checks four additional points alongside speed is called SafeDrive and comes from Italy. It was developed by Sodi Scientifica, based in Calenzano near Florence, which holds the rights to the Autovelox brand in Italy.

SafeDrive photographs not only the vehicle but also the interior. The software detects whether the driver is holding a phone, for example to make calls without a hands-free kit, to write messages or to use social networks. It also checks whether the driver and front passenger are wearing their seatbelts. Using the number plate, the system additionally verifies whether the vehicle is insured and has a valid roadworthiness inspection.

According to the manufacturer, high-resolution cameras and infrared LEDs deliver sharp images by day, at night and in bad weather. The analysis is handled by neural networks. This is self-learning software that recognises typical patterns in images, such as a hand holding a smartphone to the ear. SafeDrive is said to monitor several lanes in both directions simultaneously and to capture vehicles at up to 150 km/h. The faces of the driver and passenger are automatically blurred before the images are stored.

Where is SafeDrive being tested?

Following an initial trial in Figline Valdarno, a pilot project has been running since late summer 2026 on the Florence-Pisa-Livorno expressway near Lastra a Signa. It was approved by the Metropolitan City of Florence. The location was chosen because both directions of travel can be monitored there. The test lasts a maximum of 90 days and can be extended once. During this period, the system does not report anything to the police and no fines are issued. SafeDrive is also already installed in several municipalities, including Treviglio, Villanova di Camposampiero, Alessandria and Fossano.

Automatic fines for phone use and seatbelts are not permitted in Italy anyway. The law requires police officers to detect the offence directly on site and stop the driver. SafeDrive can therefore only serve as an aid: a patrol is positioned 80 to 100 metres behind the device and stops the vehicles it flags.

Is France already catching phone use and seatbelt offences with cameras?

No. To date, no speed camera in France is approved to automatically penalise phone use, failure to wear a seatbelt or tailgating.

Legally, the way would be clear. Since a decree of 5 July 2023, the French Highway Code has allowed around 15 types of offences to be detected automatically, including exactly these three. However, a fine is only valid if the measuring device has official approval, known as homologation. So far, only devices for speed, red lights and level crossings have been approved, plus devices for carpool lanes since April 2024.

The rumours go back to the budget documents for 2025. These stated that new offences could be added on several hundred devices, provided the technology and approval allow it. This passage is missing from the documents for 2026. The French road safety authority described reports of a launch in 2026 as “pure désinformation” (pure disinformation) and stated that no approval process had been initiated. It compares the budget line to a trip for which you set money aside without actually going in the end. As recently as July 2026, the authority reaffirmed that the speed cameras will not receive any new functions in 2026.

What are the French devices technically capable of?

Technically, the devices would be ready. The Mesta Fusion 2 speed camera from French manufacturer Idemia uses a 36-megapixel image sensor that photographs the vehicle interior in such detail that a phone in the hand is recognisable. A 3D Doppler radar tracks up to 126 vehicles across five lanes in both directions. An AI analyses the images for phone use, seatbelts and following distance. Idemia and manufacturer Parifex have already presented such prototypes publicly. Before any fine is issued, a sworn officer is supposed to check the image.

What is the situation in Poland and the Czech Republic?

Poland already has devices installed that can do more than they are allowed to. However, the cameras there only measure speed, because Polish law does not permit fines for seatbelt or phone offences based solely on a camera image.

Devices in use include the Mesta Fusion RN, which tracks up to 32 vehicles on a 22-metre-wide carriageway and can also detect no-overtaking violations and following distances. The TraffiStar SR390 from manufacturer Jenoptik monitors up to six lanes and is technically also able to detect unfastened seatbelts and phone use. At the end of 2025, the Polish enforcement system comprised 487 fixed speed cameras, 80 average speed check systems and 55 red-light cameras at junctions and level crossings.

There is no evidence of such multi-offence cameras being used in the Czech Republic. Speed cameras there generally only monitor speed and red lights.

Are there phone-detection cameras in Germany?

Yes, but so far only in Rhineland-Palatinate and only for one offence: using a phone while driving. The state uses the so-called Monocam for this.

The camera comes from the Netherlands, where it has been in use for some time. It is mounted, for example, on a motorway bridge and films traffic from above through the windscreen. An AI searches the video footage for suspicious images. However, the software does not decide on a fine; every recording is checked by a police officer.

Rhineland-Palatinate has had its own Monocam since April 2025. On average, it caught around ten phone users per day. Because the camera takes photos before an offence has been established, the state had to amend its police and public order law. The amendment has been in force since 1 March 2025. Following a positively evaluated pilot phase, the five police headquarters in Mainz, Trier, Kaiserslautern, Ludwigshafen and Koblenz are each to receive a Monocam. Warning signs at the measuring sites are mandatory.

Other German states are more cautious. The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior is monitoring the technology but points to the lack of a legal basis: “At this point in time, the introduction of the system by the Bavarian police is not yet specifically planned.”

When could multi-offence cameras start issuing fines?

None of the countries mentioned has set a fixed date. Preparations are most advanced in France, but even there automatic enforcement of phone use and seatbelts is considered realistic in a few years at the earliest.

The French department for automated traffic enforcement has launched an extensive tender. Specialist companies and lawyers were asked to show how speed cameras could penalise all permitted types of offences in future. One of the tasks focused on phone use while driving. The question was less about the technology and more about the legal issue of how constantly filming vehicle interiors could stand up in court. Bids had to be submitted by 24 October 2025. As of the end of 2025, enforcing phone and seatbelt offences by speed camera was considered feasible in two to three years at the earliest.

Following distance could come sooner. The authority is working on a new, possibly relocatable speed camera that checks the distance between two vehicles. In addition, the large camera columns are to receive a new generation that photographs vehicles from the front and rear. A 3D lidar, i.e. a laser scanner, is intended to give them additional tasks, such as measuring distances and enforcing solid lines and no-overtaking zones. The number of so-called tourelles, slim camera towers, is set to rise to 1,700 by the end of 2028. Overall, France’s stock of fixed speed cameras is to grow from around 4,000 to 4,160 units. How quickly new functions arrive is likely to depend on politics as well, as several major elections are coming up in France.

In Italy, the law would first have to be amended before automatic fines could be issued, so that such devices can be approved at all. On top of that come official tests and a technical inspection. The ongoing trial on the expressway near Florence is initially intended to show how reliably the software works in heavy traffic. In Poland, it remains open whether and when the legal situation will change.

Which planned checks affect motorcyclists?

For motorcyclists, three points are of particular interest: following distance, mandatory helmet use and noise. Phone use and seatbelts, on the other hand, mainly concern car drivers.

In France, riding without a helmet is on the list of offences that could be detected automatically in future. After following distance, the helmet is considered one of the next candidates, together with solid lines and the advanced stop areas for cyclists at traffic lights. In addition, a device for measuring vehicle noise was in the approval process at the end of 2025. Statistics show how important motorcycling is for French road safety: in 2024, 720 motorcyclists died on France’s roads, accounting for 23 per cent of all road deaths.

So anyone riding a motorcycle in France or Italy does not yet need to prepare for such multi-offence checks. However, the development of traffic enforcement in Europe is clearly heading towards cameras that capture more than just speed.

What fines apply for phone use and seatbelt offences?

Penalties vary considerably from country to country. In France, using a phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and tailgating each cost 135 euros (approx. 151 US dollars) and three points. In theory, up to eight points could add up in a single pass, and three offences would cost a combined 405 euros (approx. 454 US dollars). At present, however, these penalties can only be imposed by police officers on site.

Penalties are higher in Italy. Anyone using a phone while driving pays 250 to 1,000 euros (approx. 280 to 1,121 US dollars), loses five points and faces a licence suspension of 15 days to two months even for a first offence. Not wearing a seatbelt costs 83 to 332 euros (approx. 93 to 372 US dollars) and also five points.

In Germany, using a phone while driving costs 100 euros (approx. 112 US dollars) and one point in Flensburg.

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