US road-safety advocates say some Flock Safety automated number-plate recognition cameras may endanger motorists because they are installed too close to roads without breakaway supports. The concern adds a physical safety issue to existing criticism of Flock’s AI-enabled surveillance network, and raises questions over whether installations comply with highway standards.

One camera on a narrow rural road in Greene county, Ohio, was reportedly about two feet from the road edge, despite Ohio guidance requiring such devices on uncurbed roads to be at least eight feet from a travel lane. Flock operates an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 cameras in more than 6,000 US communities; fixed-object crashes accounted for 26% of US vehicle deaths in 2024. Flock’s customer, Beavercreek police, said the cameras had received appropriate approval, while Flock handles installation.