Accidents: Road Safety Council calls for AI surveillance of mobile phone ban

When lawyers, experts, and associations meet for the 64th German Traffic Court Day in Goslar at the end of January, the debate about the goal of zero traffic fatalities ("Vision Zero") in an increasingly digital world will take center stage. For the German Road Safety Council (DVR), one thing is already clear: prevention must be more deeply anchored in the law. A central point of contention will be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring traffic flow.

The DVR strongly recommends that the federal states implement monocams across the board. These AI-powered systems, placed on bridges or roadsides, are intended to be able to automatically detect whether a person at the wheel is holding a smartphone and thus violating the mobile phone ban. Rhineland-Palatinate has already taken a pioneering role and put the system into regular operation at the beginning of the year after a test phase. DVR President Manfred Wirsch makes it clear that one's gaze belongs on the road, not on the display. He therefore sees technical upgrades as an effective corrective for unrepentant drivers.

The appeal is gaining momentum with developments in Saxony. There, the state government is pushing forward a reform of the police law to facilitate the often difficult prosecution of mobile phone offenders. While violations are currently punished with 100 euros and one point in Flensburg, enforcement often fails due to the personnel effort required by conventional methods. The Saxon initiative therefore proposes expanding the use of technical means at accident black spots or traffic hubs. This includes unmanned aerial systems such as drones. A far-reaching plan is to allow image recordings of vehicles and drivers preventively, even before a concrete violation of regulations occurs.

Industry and Legislator in Duty

The DVR also holds the automotive industry responsible for minimizing the risk of distraction from complex infotainment systems. It demands intuitive operating concepts that make safety-relevant functions accessible without visual search or cognitive overload. Whether through precise voice control or classic haptic controls such as buttons and levers – the goal remains maximum attention to traffic.

While the EU has already mandated systems for new registrations since July 2024 that reduce distraction through acoustic or haptic signals, the DVR sees this as just a beginning. It is pushing for a scientific evaluation of these assistants as well as a holistic legal regulation at the EU level, so that warnings in the cockpit do not themselves become a danger.

In parallel, the association demands a strengthening of law enforcement personnel. Police, fine offices, and the judiciary urgently need more capacity to consistently punish violations. This also includes accident recording: in serious collisions with personal injury, where distraction by mobile devices cannot be ruled out, smartphones must be consistently secured and evaluated. This evidence preservation is to be flanked by the integration of the topic of distraction into driver training and the driving license test.

Zero Tolerance for Alcohol at the Wheel

Another major topic of discussion in Goslar is the working group on alcohol in road traffic. Here, the DVR denounces a legal loophole: cyclists and users of pedelecs are currently allowed to ride with up to 1.6 per mille (‰) as long as they show no signs of impairment. The council instead calls for the introduction of an administrative offense starting at a limit of 1.1 per mille (‰). For drivers of motor vehicles, it goes a step further and advocates for an absolute alcohol ban.

At the same time, the DVR calls for an improvement in the statistical data basis. The current practice of estimating the number of life-threateningly injured individuals solely based on samples is not sufficient for targeted prevention. The council also scrutinizes the quality of driver training. A binding reference curriculum is intended to ensure that learning progress is transparently documented. To reduce driving license costs without compromising quality, the DVR relies on driving simulators: they are to become an integral part of regular training. In combination with real-time online theory lessons and e-learning formats, an training offensive can thus be created that combines safety and efficiency.

(nie)