British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is set to roll out AI-powered safety cameras across its fleet of online delivery vans to record driver safety breaches and collisions.

The supermarket will install a double-facing camera, capturing both the driver and the road, in each of its 3,800 vans. They will be used to detect collisions, but also safety breaches, such as drivers not looking at the road or failing to wear a seatbelt, the company said.

It added that the cameras turn on with the ignition and stay on for 10 minutes after it is switched off, displaying a red light to indicate it is recording, but only actively saving footage when there is something to record, such as a collision.

The rollout follows a trial earlier in the year, which the supermarket said prompted a 77 per cent reduction in safety incidents and a 57 per cent reduction in harsh braking.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Following a successful trial with hundreds of drivers, we’re rolling out safety cameras across our grocery delivery fleet as part of our ongoing commitment to colleague safety […] The results were hugely encouraging.

“This technology, already widely used by delivery companies, provides real-time hazard alerts and only records when a potential incident is detected."

The rollout will take place between June and October, with a two-week adjustment period once they are installed at a distribution site or store to allow drivers time to adjust to them.

AI facial recognition technology is being used increasingly in the retail sector, but it is not without critics. In May, the Guardian reported that AI facial recognition cameras in use in stores including Sainsbury’s had led to false accusations of theft across the country.

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