Remote technology could be used to monitor accidents on freeways, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Monday.
In addition it could help reduce the number of accidents, he said during the launch of the road safety campaign. The Department of Transport used the occasion to showcase ways technology could be utilised to prevent road carnage. As part of the launch, Mbalula visited the National Traffic Control Centre in Centurion as well as the Gauteng Central Operations Centre in Midrand. The Gauteng centre has 298 CCTV cameras monitoring the freeways in Gauteng. Mbalula said accidents often occurred when drivers failed to adhere to the speed limit. He said this was reflected by the fact that some accidents took place in areas where there was little traffic. Concerning the launch, he said: “This was mainly to show the capacity we have in terms of safety and monitoring particularly in areas that attract high volumes of traffic, and how we respond expeditiously.” When an incident was detected staff dispatched metro police officers to the scene. Devices with sensors could record the average speed of vehicles, and inform drivers how long it would take for them to reach their destination.“There’s also a medical response unit, which helps get people medical attention as quickly as possible,” he said.
Engineering executive at the SA National Roads Agency Limited Louw Kannemeyer said that during load shedding generators at the centre kept it operating. Kannemeyer said cameras, however, had a limited battery back-up of two hours, and would shut down when the battery life was low. Mbalula said technology enabled staff to notify authorities when crimes such as hijacking occurred on roads. When criminal activity was detected, police were immediately dispatched to the scene. The metro police departments of Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane were included in operations, and worked alongside staff at the centre. During the festive season, the technology would enable staff to monitor major congestion on freeways. Source: iOL
