Tuscany Tests AI for Road Safety: The Camera That Sees Everything, Drivers Be Warned
The Florence-Pisa-Livorno (Fi-Pi-Li) becomes the testing ground for a new generation of traffic control systems based on artificial intelligence. The Metropolitan City of Florence has authorized a maximum 90-day trial that involves the installation of an intelligent camera capable of automatically detecting some of the most common violations of the Highway Code, with the goal of assessing its effectiveness, accuracy, and reliability before any potential operational use.
The trial represents an evolution of tests already conducted earlier on some municipal and provincial roads in Tuscany and is now being extended to one of the region's main arteries, crossed daily by tens of thousands of cars and heavy vehicles. The device will be installed within the metal structure that towers over the roadway in the section located between the Empoli and Florence territories, monitoring both directions of travel, toward Florence and Livorno.
The heart of the project consists of an artificial vision system that analyzes in real time the images coming from high-resolution cameras. Thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, the system can recognize certain situations considered particularly relevant for traffic safety. Among these is the use of smartphones or other electronic devices while driving, behavior deemed one of the main causes of distraction at the wheel.
However, the planned functionalities are not limited to monitoring phone usage. The system is also designed to check if the driver correctly wears the seatbelt and if the passenger in the front seat does the same. Through automatic license plate reading, furthermore, the platform can query databases to verify the validity of RC Auto insurance coverage and the vehicle's periodic inspection, allowing for quick identification of non-compliant vehicles.
The cameras are designed to operate continuously throughout the day. The use of high-definition sensors and infrared lighting allows indeed to capture images usable even at night, keeping the automatic recognition functions operational regardless of light conditions.
The experimental phase will not, however, have direct consequences for drivers. During the 90-day test, the system will not send violation reports to law enforcement and will not produce automatic fines. The images collected will serve exclusively to verify the accuracy level of the algorithms and to assess if the technology could provide reliable support to the control activities required by current regulations.
This initiative is part of a broader process of the digitization of road controls. The use of artificial intelligence, integrated with databases related to insurance and inspections, could enable more efficient checks on vehicles in circulation and combat dangerous behaviors like smartphone usage while driving in the future.
On this latter front, the new Highway Code has introduced stricter penalties. Using a mobile phone without permitted devices can result in fines of up to 1,000 euros, five points deducted from the driving license, and suspension of the driving document even at the first violation. In case of repeat offenses within two years, the penalties increase further, and suspension can last up to three months. A short suspension mechanism is also foreseen for drivers with a reduced number of remaining points on their license.
If the trial on the Fi-Pi-Li confirms the expected results, similar systems could also be evaluated for other Italian road infrastructures. However, any potential large-scale rollout will require a dedicated regulatory framework that governs the homologation of devices, the methods for detecting violations, the handling of collected images, and the role of checks carried out by the competent authorities before the issuance of any penalties.