Scottish Safety Camera Programme

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Overview

Through targeted safety camera enforcement and improving driver behaviour, the purpose of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme is to contribute to Scotland’s road safety vision and road safety targets as set out in the Scottish Government’s Road Safety Framework to 2020

Road Safety Vision: A steady reduction in the numbers of those killed and those seriously injured, with the ultimate vision of a future where no-one is killed on Scotland’s roads, and the injury rate is much reduced.

Safety cameras are for casualty reduction

Safety cameras deployed through the Programme must be done so primarily where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions, and where there is evidence of both collisions and speeding.

Cameras may also be deployed at: relevant road works (where speed enforcement contributes to road worker, driver and other road user safety, as well as improving traffic flow); and through Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)-based Managed Motorways (through which journey time reliability, journey times and road safety can be managed).

Safety cameras are not for revenue generation

The operations and activity of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme are funded by grant from Scottish Ministers.

The retention of monies received by the Scottish Government from fines and fixed penalties is off-set by an associated reduction in the block grant the Scottish Government receives from the UK Government. 

This is in accordance with the Fiscal Framework agreed between the UK and Scottish Governments in March 2016 which complemented the powers sets out in the Scotland Act 2016.

 

Mobile phone and seatbelt use

New Camera Technology to Detect Distracted Drivers in Scotland

A driver uses a mobile phone, while the passenger holds the steering wheel

A major survey is underway on the scale of mobile phone and seatbelt use by drivers on Scotland’s roads.

Scotland is deploying new camera technology for the first time to understand the scale of mobile‑phone use and seatbelt non‑compliance among drivers — two of the ‘Fatal‑5’ high‑risk driving behaviours.

An estimated 169,000 drivers are not wearing seatbelts and over 28,000 may be using handheld devices every day.

The six‑month survey will be the most comprehensive to date on these dangerous driving behaviours and will support Scotland’s casualty reduction targets.

UK’s Largest Behaviour Monitoring Survey

The technology will be deployed at 12 locations across Scotland, covering:

  • Urban and rural routes
  • Local and trunk roads
  • Roadworks and non‑roadworks locations

Two camera systems will rotate monthly, operating 24/7 and using AI software to identify potential offences before human verification. This will be the largest survey of its kind ever conducted in the UK. Images will be anonymised. However, if there are any serious issues detected these may be shared with Police Scotland.

Why are we doing this?

A driver and their two passengers are not wearing seat belts
  • Nearly one in four (23%) in‑car fatalities in 2024 involved not wearing a seatbelt.
  • UK‑wide research suggests 0.6% of drivers use handheld devices while driving and 3.6% do not wear seatbelts.
  • Findings will inform future enforcement strategies, public education, and road safety investment.
Mobile phone use behind the wheel and seatbelt non‑compliance remain two of the most dangerous driver behaviours. This trial will give us the clearest picture yet of the scale of these issues and help guide enforcement, education and investment. Scotland remains absolutely committed to making our roads the safest in the world by 2030.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport

As the UK’s largest ever survey of mobile phone and seatbelt use, this project will provide clear evidence of the scale of poor driving behaviours. Insights like these allow us to change bad habits, reducing avoidable collisions and casualties.

Geoff Collins, Acusensus

What Happens Next

  • The survey will run for up to six months.
  • Data will feed into a comprehensive post‑survey report.
  • The trial will also assess operational impacts for Police Scotland and COPFS.
  • There is no timetable for enforcement at this stage.
  • To ensure accurate behaviour measurement, camera locations will not be publicly disclosed, although the units will be visible and fully secured during deployment.

Privacy notice

Who we are

Transport Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government. We are a data controller for the purposes of data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information in connection with a survey using distracted-driver and seatbelt-detection technology.

What personal data we will process

This project is not for the purposes of active law enforcement.

  • Images of passing vehicles, including drivers and front seat passengers.
  • Vehicle information such as vehicle type and the road environment.

This process is currently already available through any vehicle-mounted dashcam, police patrol vehicle or roadside CCTV and remain a statutory offence. 

These images are analysed by an AI processing system, which immediately discards those where no potential road traffic offence is detected. Only images that appear to show handheld mobile phone use or seatbelt non-use are kept for further review. These are then checked by an authorised individual, and any images confirmed as relevant are retained for up to 45 days.

The data collected does not include any special category information under Article 9 of the UK GDPR, such as health details, ethnicity, or biometric data. It may, however, relate indirectly to road traffic offences, because the behaviours being identified, such as using a mobile phone while driving or not wearing a seatbelt are offences in law.

Privacy risks are mitigated through robust anonymisation measures, limited retention of data, and the project’s focus on research rather than enforcement.

Why we are processing your personal data

The aim of the project is to provide Scottish Ministers with evidence on the incidence of driver distraction and failure to use a seatbelt use across multiple road environments, supporting the development of policy and enforcement strategies that reduce collisions and casualties in line with the Road Safety Framework to 2030.

These behaviours are known contributors to serious and fatal road collisions.

Recent evidence shows an increase in road fatalities in Scotland, with a high proportions of deaths linked to non-seatbelt use, distraction, impairment and speeding. Police Scotland has also reported increased detection of seatbelt offences.

Legal basis for processing

Public task (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e)). Transport Scotland is carrying out a task in the public interest and exercising official authority laid down in law (the Road Traffic Act 1988 and sections 75 to 77 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988).

While the project does not include enforcement measures, the processing of any offence data captured as a result of this research project is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller in terms of paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Sharing your personal data

  • Data will be collected automatically by cameras with integrated AI processors which screen out images not considered to identify a mobile phone use or absence of seatbelt.
  • Human validation will be undertaken daily by operatives employed directly by Aecom. These operatives will be trained in scrutinising images digitally selected for further validation of the specified road traffic offences. 
  • Those not confirmed as potential road traffic offences and selected as such will be deleted by the onboard software.
  • The images retained will be digitally calculated to identify overall how many of each road traffic offence is identified. These will be batched into road-type descriptor.
  • If an image is detected as a potentially serious offence, these will be encrypted and forwarded to Police Scotland. However, these would not be transferred or available in live-time and we would be unable to provide detail of any live incidents of this nature. 

How long we will keep your personal data

  • Images not identified for validation will be deleted automatically and instantaneously.
  • Images retained for validation will be stored securely in a cloud environment for a short period of (no more than 45 days) to confirm offence type and calculate prevalence statistics.
  • Images downloaded and encrypted and forwarded to Police Scotland will be deleted within 90 days.

Where we store your personal data

Retained and anonymised images will be stored in a cloud environment that complies with ISO 27001 standards. No processing or storage will take place outside the UK.

How we will keep your personal data secure

There are no known prior security issues with this technology, but as it involves cloud storage and AI processing, robust cybersecurity measures and contractual controls are essential. The cloud storage capability complies with ISO 27001.

Data will be collected continuously during the trial period at multiple roadside locations. Each camera system captures two images per passing vehicle, but only those flagged by the AI algorithm as potential offences are retained for human validation. The majority of images are discarded almost immediately after processing.

Images retained for validation will be stored securely in a cloud environment for a period of no more than 45 days to confirm offence type and calculate prevalence statistics. After validation and anonymisation, all images will be destroyed digitally within the agreed retention timeframe which will be contractually constrained to 45 days for statistical research and 90 days for images downloaded or passed to Police Scotland.

Your rights

You can contact us to request access to the information we hold about you, object to the processing of your personal data or to ask that we correct any inaccurate or out of date information that we hold about you.

If you wish to raise a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at DPA@transport.gov.scot who will investigate the matter.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data not in accordance with the law you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

History

A distinct Scottish Safety Camera Programme was established following the successful trial of a UK-wide pilot in 2002 to detect speeding and red-light running offences. Between 2002 and 2006, eight Safety Camera Partnerships were established along legacy police force boundaries. Following a Review of the Programme in 2013-14 the Programme is now delivered across three areas – North, East and West.

Review

A Review of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme was undertaken in 2013-14, concerned with the delivery and outcomes of the Programme. A range of documents relating to the Review are available below, with the agreed recommendation marking a significant step in delivering lasting improvements to the Programme and maximising its collision and casualty reduction potential.

Delivery

The Scottish Government, through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme Office, is responsible for the Programme’s performance and administering grant funding for camera enforcement activity. Police Scotland is responsible for the operational delivery of the Programme, through Units in three enforcement Areas covering all of mainland Scotland. For more information on safety camera activity in your area please see Police Scotland's Safety Camera website.

North Unit

Email Tain or telephone 01862 893872

Email Aberdeen or telephone 01224 305931

Email Dundee or telephone 01382 596378

East Unit

Email Stirling or telephone 01786 456778

Email Fife or telephone 01592 418870

Email Edinburgh or telephone 0131 311 3251

West Unit

Email Dumfries or telephone 01387 242240

Email Glasgow or telephone 0141 532 6424

Documents

The Scottish Safety Camera Programme Handbook sets out the rules and guidance for the Programme in Scotland. It refers only to operations and activity undertaken and funded through the Programme, and does not apply to speed enforcement activity undertaken by Police Officers. The Chief Constable of Police Scotland has the right and responsibility to use all legal means to enforce speed limits outwith the rules of the Programme.

To ensure safety camera deployments continue to deliver casualty reductions and meet future demands a scoping exercise has been undertaken:

Information on performance management arrangements of the safety camera programme, as set out in the Programme Handbook, is contained in the following documents:

A list of frequently asked questions about the Scottish Safety Camera programme is also available to download.

Contact and links

Contact us

The Scottish Safety Camera Programme sets out the rules and guidance for the Programme in Scotland, but has no access to driver or vehicle details, or information about notices of intended prosecution or conditional offers.

If your enquiry is about driver or vehicle details, a notice of intended prosecution or conditional offer, or any other operational matter concerning the delivery of the Programme please contact the Safety Camera Units.

If your enquiry is about rules and guidance for the Programme please email us at safety.cameras@transport.gov.scot, or write to us at:

Scottish Safety Camera Programme
Buchanan House
58 Port Dundas Road
Glasgow G4 0HF

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