T0528 Future Compliance Technology (FCT) Specialist Support

A need for a comprehensive investigation following successful piloting FCT pilot activity (funded by National Highways as part of previous commission) finished in March 2023. This demonstrated the scale of the problem across numerous trial sites. Since July 2022 we have detected over 2,500 mobile phone and seat belt offences in 60 data collection sessions. At its peak the sensors detected an offence every 90 seconds in road works on the M6. Previous phases have tested equipment and undertaken a small-scale pilot on the network. While the technology itself has largely been proven, some enforcement challenges remain and these need to be understood, particularly in relation to volume of activity. It is not considered appropriate or sustainable for National Highways to fund an up-scaling of the existing pilot, therefore this option has been discounted in favour of a partnership approach with police forces with a view to developing a long-term sustainable, scalable model. Current enforcement in this space is severely limited by police capacity, therefore it is essential to develop a scalable, sustainable solution that meets the police need for enforcement.