A traffic counter installed on behalf of the Rheinland-Pfalz Department of Road Management records data for the state’s 2025 road traffic census in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 22, 2025. (Zade Vadnais/Stars and Stripes)

If you’ve noticed extra cameras on overpasses or highway exits lately, you’re not alone. And no, they’re not there to catch you using your cell phone behind the wheel.

The devices are traffic counters, part of Rheinland-Pfalz’s 2025 road traffic census, according to a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Road Management. Installed by a contractor, the cameras track the number and types of vehicles on the roads.

Contract employees manually review the footage, and no personal, vehicle or identifying data is recorded, the spokesperson said.

The data is expected to be published in September 2026.