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The Dutch may have invented the speed camera but the Finns are now developing it to a scary level of proficiency - Big Brother doesn't come close...
Currently undergoing testing in Finland, the new device is called Asset (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport). Its development is being sustained by the equivalent of R75-million worth of EU funding.
The Asset system not only detects speeding but also checks a vehicle’s licence plate against a database to confirm that its insurance and road tax are up-to-date.
Furthermore, Asset is able to gauge the distance between vehicles, identifying tailgating and image-analyses the occupants of the vehicle to determine whether they are wearing a seat belts.
Satellite communication with police computer networks enables prosecutions to be initiated within seconds of any perceived offence.
EFFICIENT ENFORCEMENT
An individual Asset unit could cost the equivalent of R550 000 and effectively replace the many systems most traffic enforcement agencies use to determine offences ranging from speeding to out-of-date vehicle licenses.
British AA president Edmund King sees Asset as a potentially life-saving device. "Tailgating is more dangerous in most cases than speeding so I think most motorists would welcome it."
Currently being tested by the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, Asset is trailer-mounted. The final version is expected to find its way into police patrol vehicles as a compact, integrated unit.
Matti Kutila, senior research scientist at VTT, sees the work as being invaluable. "The main intention is to support traffic police so that drivers follow traffic rules such as wearing seat belts, keep to the speed limit and maintain sufficient distance to the vehicle in front."
European police and traffic law enforcement agencies are hoping to roll-out Asset by 2013.
You have been warned...
Currently undergoing testing in Finland, the new device is called Asset (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport). Its development is being sustained by the equivalent of R75-million worth of EU funding.
The Asset system not only detects speeding but also checks a vehicle’s licence plate against a database to confirm that its insurance and road tax are up-to-date.
Furthermore, Asset is able to gauge the distance between vehicles, identifying tailgating and image-analyses the occupants of the vehicle to determine whether they are wearing a seat belts.
Satellite communication with police computer networks enables prosecutions to be initiated within seconds of any perceived offence.
EFFICIENT ENFORCEMENT
An individual Asset unit could cost the equivalent of R550 000 and effectively replace the many systems most traffic enforcement agencies use to determine offences ranging from speeding to out-of-date vehicle licenses.
British AA president Edmund King sees Asset as a potentially life-saving device. "Tailgating is more dangerous in most cases than speeding so I think most motorists would welcome it."
Currently being tested by the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, Asset is trailer-mounted. The final version is expected to find its way into police patrol vehicles as a compact, integrated unit.
Matti Kutila, senior research scientist at VTT, sees the work as being invaluable. "The main intention is to support traffic police so that drivers follow traffic rules such as wearing seat belts, keep to the speed limit and maintain sufficient distance to the vehicle in front."
European police and traffic law enforcement agencies are hoping to roll-out Asset by 2013.
You have been warned...
