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Flock surveillance cameras can pose a crash risk for drivers, US experts say
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.
In short
- Some Flock cameras may create roadside collision hazards.
- Ohio guidance calls for greater distance from traffic lanes.
- Advocates question whether installations meet crash-safety standards.
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The case for
Road-safety advocates argue that cameras placed close to traffic, especially on narrow roads and without breakaway supports, can create a dangerous fixed obstacle if a vehicle leaves the road. They say installations should meet applicable setback and roadside-safety standards, and that the scale of the network makes consistent oversight important.
The case against
Police and other supporters may argue that camera installations can serve public-safety purposes and should be assessed against the approvals and standards that apply at each site. They may also caution that a reported installation does not establish that the wider network is unsafe, and that any hazard can be addressed through site-specific review or relocation.
Explained simply
Flock Safety operates a network of automated cameras that read number plates in more than 6,000 American communities. Police departments use these cameras to track vehicles, and the company has installed approximately 80,000 to 100,000 cameras across the United States.
Road-safety experts have raised concerns about how some of these cameras are positioned, saying they are installed dangerously close to the edge of roads. These cameras lack breakaway supports designed to collapse safely on impact, and some installations appear to violate state safety guidance about how far roadside equipment must be positioned from traffic lanes.
Crashes where vehicles hit roadside objects accounted for 26 per cent of vehicle deaths in America in 2024. The safety concerns add to existing criticism of Flock's surveillance activities, and raise questions about whether its camera installations comply with established highway safety standards.