South Africa is using new types of speed traps to catch drivers
The Gauteng Traffic Police says it has seen an increase in speeding-related arrests as it adopts new technologies – including Moving Violation Recorders (MVR).
MVR devices are increasingly being used on regional and residential roads as a way of tracking speeding drivers. An MVR records the average speed measured over a minimum of 500 meters. The event is then recorded and downloaded for investigation and prosecution purposes.
This is not dissimilar to the average-speed-over-distance (ASOD) technology which is currently being used on South Africa’s major national highways – including the N3 and the N1. An ASOD calculates the average speed of a vehicle, measured from the time it passes a camera until it reaches a second camera at a fixed distance away.
The cameras are carefully calibrated, and the technology can recognise the vehicle’s number plate. Time-stamped pictures are taken at both locations. Should the vehicle pass by the second camera in a shorter time than what it should, given the speed limit, it indicates that the driver was speeding.
“Excessive speeding significantly contributes to the high number of road fatalities in the province. We call upon drivers to adhere to the general speed limit on Gauteng major routes in order to save lives,” Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane said on Monday (20 June).
Maremane said seven drivers aged between the ages of 32 and 60 were arrested for speeding this weekend alone.
“The highest speedster arrested was a 41-year-old who was caught driving a Silver Mercedes Benz G63 at a 215km/h speed on a prescribed maximum speed limit of 120km per hour on the N1 South. The speedster was detained at Sinoville police station. The driver claimed he was running away from hijackers upon his arrest.”
“The Gauteng Traffic Police High-Speed Unit will continue to conduct high-speed operations and apprehend drivers who continuously endanger the lives of road users,” Maremane said.
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