Electronic eyes to watch our roads
Those of you with the habit of driving fast will need to start slowing down soon. The Government will be deploying electronically operated speed cameras nationwide later this year. Dubbed the National Automated Enforcement System (AES), the cameras will be deployed in accident-prone areas.
Roped in to help identify these areas are the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), who boldly claimed that the system will potentially save 1,500 lives. We don’t know how those figures were calculated, but MIROS believes that the speed cameras alone will reduce fatalities by 30%, and the red-light cameras will reduce fatalities due to traffic light violations by 40%.
Thus far, MIROS has already identified 556 accident-prone stretches and 265 traffic light locations nationwide for the deployment of the AES cameras. According to MIROS Director General, Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, the AES is a proven and effective approach to reducing road accidents, casualties and fatalities.
The setup of similar systems is claimed have reduced fatalities in the United Kingdom by 49%, while France also saw a 40% drop in casualty rates since the system was implemented in 2003. MIROS further claims that 92 countries in the world utilize photographic detection devices to catch traffic offenders.
“The AES represents a stronger traffic control culture and enforcement system that is expected to deter dangerous practices among motorists. While the system meters out summons as a form of punishment and deterrent, we believe the long-term and desired outcome will be to have a motoring society who are more responsible and uphold the highest standards of road safety,” said Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan.
In 2008, 6,527 people were killed on the road in Malaysia. Motorcycle fatalities accounted for 58% of the total lives lost or 3,898 people. Some 1,335 people were killed in crashes involving cars. A total of 25,747 people were injured of which 8,868 were seriously injured or hospitalized.
Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan said the benefits of the AES include:
• Increased safety for all road users
• Increased road safety awareness
• Increased respect for and adherence to traffic regulations
• Cost effective and a more efficient approach to enforcement and policing traffic regulations (ed: Does this mean less road blocks?)
With the AES in place, the Government is targeting to reduce the number of fatalities, casualties and road accidents in the country. Is it likely to succeed? Only time will tell, but we did some further digging ourselves and found that there also exists a strong school of thought which dispute or downplay the effectiveness of speed cameras in lowering accident rates. Depending on how you phrase your search, Google pulls out equally many documents arguing on either side of the fence.
A report from the UK, dated 2004, produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology, argued that ‘a driver travelling at 25% above the average speed being 6 times more likely to be involved in a crash’. The report further added that ‘even where speed is not the cause of the crash itself, it may worsen the consequences of crashes’. That makes perfect sense, because as your speed increases, you reduce your margin to react in an emergency, and also increase your damage potential.
A more recent report, also from the UK, part of a four-year study on the effectiveness of speed cameras, concluded that speed cameras led to a 22% reduction in personal injury collisions (4,230 fewer per annum), 42% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured (1,745 fewer per annum), and 70% fall in vehicles exceeding the speed limit (at fixed camera sites).
The Australians are also very strict about speed limits themselves. According to the Road Transport Authority of the New South Wales state government, speed was responsible for 37% of all fatal crashes and 16% of all injury crashes during the five year period 2003 – 2007. The same authority also claimed that an independent evaluation (ARRB Consulting, 2005) found a 90% reduction in fatal crashes and a 23% reduction in casualty crashes on lengths of road where a fixed digital speed camera was installed.
However, from 1995 to 1999, the state of Montana, USA, had no daytime speed limits, with the state code calling only for drivers to drive at speeds that he/she deem ‘reasonable or prudent’. There was, however, a night time speed limit of 65 mph (105kph). A statewide speed limit of 75 mph was eventually imposed in May 1999, but it is worth noting that during those four years without speed limits, Montana had enjoyed its lowest fatality rates on the roads.
Recently, another US state, Utah, as part of an experiment, raised speed limits for some roads up to 80 mph (129kph). The state’s Department of Transport reported at the conclusion of the exercise that there was no increase in road fatalities or casualties during the exercise.
Finally, we have the famous example of the German autobahn, which sees very limited implementation of speed limits, and even that only in construction areas or junctions. Nevertheless, the autobahn still boasts a comparable safety track record to that of neighbouring nations.
The argument as to whether speed actually kills will continue until the cows come home, and in my personal opinion at least, neither side have been able to conclusively prove their argument one way or the other, though both sides claim to have ‘conclusive evidence’. Of course, whatever your feelings are on the matter, remember that you will still be fined and have marks on your license if you’re caught going over the speed limit.
At the end of the day, speed camera or not, the most important safety instrument out there on the road is (yes, it’s cliche time) you, the driver. Nothing prevents accidents like a good dose of common sense and courtesy. Simple practices, such as giving yourself and the nearby driver additional space to maneuver helps reduce the chances of an accident by a huge margin.
That’s for speed limits. As for running red lights, if you did it, you deserve to be fined. Full stop.
Writer’s Note:
– Images have been digitally manipulated for illustration purposes.
– References used for writing this article can be found in the Talk About It link below.
