Highway cameras enter test phase

Traffic authorities have started testing 12 high-tech highway cameras on the B1 and B2 national roads, which are expected to become part of the traffic law enforcement arsenal later this year. Rozario Coetzee of the Namibian Police Traffic Law Enforcement Division says the testing phase will not include enforcement, but will give the police the chance to resolve any glitches that might occur in the system. The high-tech traffic management system, consisting of instant camera traps in addition to Average Speed Over Distance Cameras (ASOD), plus a slew of other functions, have been distributed on the two busiest national roads, with multiple ones stationed between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo, and between Okahandja and Swakopmund. The cameras are linked and communicate with each other, Coetzee says.He says once implemented and legally enforceable, they could help curb traffic offences such as speeding, speaking on cellphones while driving, and not wearing seatbelts. The cameras will be linked to a database that will enable them to capture licence plates and match them to the drivers' cellphone numbers, enabling the authorities to issue fines directly via mobile technology. Coetzee describes the system as so sophisticated that it will enable an unprecedented overview of driving behaviour on national roads and subsequent law enforcement.He says the police have not yet been able to activate the cameras because some legal issues still need to be resolved.The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) has to approve the system before it can be gazetted. As part of the gazetting process, the public will be given a chance to comment before the authorities will be given the go-ahead to start fining offenders caught by the system.Coetzee says the most effective part of the system will be the areas where multiple cameras can measure average speed over a particular distance.“People warn each other, so when they approach a camera, they slow down. But with the other cameras, the average speed measurement will be very effective,” he says.According to Coetzee the current system is still in its infancy and can be expanded as resources allow.JANA-MARI SMITH

Highway cameras enter test phase

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-12

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Highway cameras enter test phase

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-12

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