The maker of a traffic camera that uses artificial intelligence to pinpoint whether a driver is violating Maryland’s law prohibiting handheld cellphone use while driving told lawmakers, “Distracted driving feels like our generation’s drunken driving.”
That’s why Dhruv Maheshwari, cofounder of Obvio, a company that manufactures AI-powered cameras for use in traffic control, said he’s supporting a bill in Maryland’s General Assembly that would pilot the use of the cameras in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
Under the legislation, images captured by the cameras could generate a $40 civil fine.
During the Feb. 13 hearing before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, Maheshwari told lawmakers there’s an in-camera feature that blurs the faces of drivers, while taking a clear image of motorists who have phones or other mobile devices in their hands while driving.
“The camera on the device determines if there’s a violation. Once it determines there’s a violation, it automatically blurs everything that’s nonessential,” he said.
That did little to reassure Maryland State Sen. Mary-Dulany James.
“I would be immediately apoplectic about that intrusiveness,” she said. “I think people are going to be a little shocked.”
James argued that, as a pilot program, there should be a period when drivers are notified that they were caught violating the law, without citations being issued.
“I do not like charging people money for traffic violations based on cameras, as opposed to real law enforcement,” she said. “It gives me heartburn.”
Supporters of the bill testified to the data showing how prevalent distracted driving has become.
“The intent of the bill is to focus on the use of handheld electronic devices, specifically cellphones,” State Sen. Michael A. Jackson told lawmakers.
Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief David McBain said the department had piloted the use of Obvio’s cameras to test their performance and collect data. Nine cameras were installed around the county.
“The data showed that we were capturing 2,500 violations per day at these nine locations,” he said. “Distracted driving is the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.”
Wade Holland, who leads the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s Vision Zero effort, said, “Our collision reconstruction unit, which investigates fatal crashes in Montgomery County, has investigated fatal crashes involving drivers texting and drivers watching YouTube videos seconds before a fatal crash.”
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