Speedsters beware. Big Brother is watching you on certain parts of KwaZulu-Natal’s national highways, recording and analysing your speed.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport Road Traffic Inspectorate has become the pioneer for Average Speed Enforcement in South Africa.
The project has been sanctioned by both the Technical Committee for Speed Prosecutions and the KwaZulu-Natal Director of Public Prosecutions’ Office (KZN DPP).
The project was piloted first on the N3 between Nottingham Road interchange and Balgowan interchange last year and has since expanded to between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on the N3 and at a section on the N2 near Mtubatuba.
Kwanele Ncalane, spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, said the objective of the project was to reduce the high accident rate and the number of speedsters on the road and to create awareness in motorists to abide by the speed limit.
The project is designed around the “time over distance” principle, where your speed is equal to the distance covered divided by the time taken to travel that distance.
Ncalane said an average speed section was selected and its distance accurately measured by an accredited laboratory. “A camera is then placed at both the beginning and at the end of this section. These cameras capture all vehicle number plates passing through the section and a GPS time stamp is attached to each image. The number plates are then matched using a number plate recognition system, and the average vehicle speeds are calculated. Violations are then transferred in their encrypted format to the relevant prosecuting authority,” said Ncalane.
He said the recorded number plates would also be stored in a comprehensive database and used for comparisons against stolen vehicle records and outstanding fine records.
Ncalane said the system seemed to be working well, with the latest project rolled out just before the December holidays.
“In a few weeks we will be assessing the situation to see if it has been really successful. If that is the case, this will become the norm on most of our roads. We are working closely with our legal eagles to make sure there is no loophole for motorists to buck the system,” he said.
He said they had decided to implement the system because many motorists had become accustomed to the old cameras in fixed positions.
Some have questioned the legality of the system.
“One would not have the opportunity to check the legitimacy of the equipment recording nor check the training of the officials who presumably would have to be listed in a summons and how the distance between the two measuring points was determined,” said attorney Shane Maharaj. “In a marginal case such as 111km/h average over a 100km/h posted limit this could be critical.“ - Sunday Tribune