NC Using AI Technology to Catch Texting Truckers

North Carolina is cracking down on truckers that text and drive, employing AI-backed cameras to catch them in the act. 

The cameras are set up along Interstate 40, the largest traffic artery in the state, according to a July 21 release from Acusensus, which is operating the cameras in partnership with the North Carolina Highway Patrol. 

The cameras take three photos of passing trucks; one of the truck, one of the license plate and one of the driver. Artificial intelligence can deduce if the driver is texting or not wearing a seatbelt and communicate that information to troopers parked nearby in just seconds. 

In 2020, 10.3 percent of road fatalities in the Tar Heel State involved a large truck, according to the release.