NC highway patrol uses AI equipment to crack down on truck drivers

The North Carolina Highway Patrol has announced it will be using artificial intelligence to identify distracted commercial truck drivers.

Since 2022, there have been more than 150 deadly crashes in the state involving big rigs, according to troopers.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty delved into how exactly the equipment works and what this means for truck drivers going forward.

Troopers said it is against the law for commercial truck drivers to be holding their cell phones while they are driving.

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The Acusensus equipment, which has been installed along Interstate 40, looks like it might be part of some kind of construction project but instead it has four cameras on it.

The cameras take photos of the truck, the truck’s license plate, and whatever the driver of the truck is doing.

Artificial intelligence determines if the driver was distracted by holding a cell phone or not wearing a seatbelt. It then relays a series of photos to troopers parked more than a half mile away.

This is all expected to happen in just a matter of seconds, according to troopers.

Troopers told Channel 9 that the equipment allows them to see inside big rigs, something they normally can’t do because of the height of the trucks.

The agency believes the use of Acusensus equipment will make traveling safer for commercial drivers, as well as others.

“They know what the rules are. They know what the regulations say. Ones that are rolling the dice and not putting their phones down and not looking at the road are really putting themselves in danger by doing this,” Sargent Chris Knox explained.

If caught, truck drivers could face up to $100 in fines.

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