The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has began mounting traffic surveillance cameras on its fleet of cars, as part of efforts to reduce road traffic accidents.
The cameras will allow the authorities to observe road behaviour and take appropriate action, such as maybe reporting traffic violators to the police.
In an interview with the media, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the NRSA, David Adonteng said: “Now, anywhere we move, this camera will be able to identify everybody who will be within the road space — drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and so on.”
He said that the films would also aid in determining what transpired in the event of a car accident.
“We can replay it to know when it happened, who was involved, and how it happened, and then we push everything to the police.
“Wherever you are, we will get you because the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has records of every motor rider and vehicle in its system. So when it picks your motorcycle or vehicle registration number, then we would use that to follow you wherever you are to redeem yourself at the law courts,” he said.
According to NRSA figures, at least 1,300 individuals perished in 7,687 documented traffic crashes between January and June of this year.
The reported collisions, in which 13,248 vehicles were involved, also resulted in injuries to another 7,997 people in various degrees.
The NRSA figures also revealed that 1,356 pedestrians were knocked down within the same period.
The mid-year statistics indicate an improvement in the road safety situation, compared with the same period last year, when 1,454 people were killed in 8,188 reported crashes.
Mr. Adonteng stated that the authority would enforce laws strictly with the cameras in place.
“I think by September we should have all our vehicles installed with this camera. For now, however, we are doing the testing with a few,” he said.
He disclosed that a road safety information centre had been constructed, which would collect, organise, and link data from the videos to the police system.
