Bahrain: Smart CCTV cameras will help Bahrain’s policemen keep an eagle eye on traffic violators from today.
They will be activated on patrol vehicles and along major highways and traffic junctions.
This is part of a raft of measures being put in place by the authorities to tackle congestion and other motor-related problems across the country.
The smart CCTV cameras will be able to capture rogue drivers who exceed the speed limit, jump the red light, overtake wrongly, talk on their mobile phones, fail to use their seat-belts or encroach on the yellow box or emergency lanes (hard shoulders).
“These smart hi-tech devices have already proven their efficiency during the experimental phase,” traffic director general Shaikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa said yesterday.
He said the move which aims to enhance road safety is part of the modernisation and development strategy of the Interior Ministry.
Proposals include residents-only parking in certain neighbourhoods, park and ride schemes, a ban on vehicles over a certain age, new rules for motorcycles, special lanes for bicycles and restricting vehicle access to public transport in some places.
There are already plans to instal new parking meters on streets across Bahrain. A points system for driving offences commenced on February 8.
Meanwhile, a BD1 million study on the feasibility of a monorail is being commissioned, with latest statistics showing there were 611,578 vehicles using Bahrain’s roads as of December 31 – up from 478,184 in 2011.
The department has conducted a comprehensive traffic awareness campaign to promote road safety and encourage drivers to avoid wrong practices.
Drivers have also been given the facility of checking their traffic violations by activating the E-Key on Bahrain e-Government portal and paying fines online.
The GDN quoted a senior traffic official warning last month that lives are being put at risk by motorists who use social media applications while driving.
The “dangerous trend” is happening despite the introduction of tougher traffic rules that stipulate a fine of up to BD500 for motorists who even touch their phones.
Under the new Traffic Law, which was introduced in February last year, fines and jail times for various offences have increased, including up to BD6,000 fine and jail time for jumping a red light and causing a fatality.
“The pattern of accidents is changing,” Traffic Culture director Lieutenant Colonel Osama Mohamed Bahar told the GDN.
“Earlier, most accidents involved two or more vehicles, possibly indicating speeding, wrong overtaking or just being reckless on the roads.
“Now, we are observing many of the accidents are what we call ‘own-car’ crashes, with vehicles smashing against the sidewalk, a tree, a roundabout or even going on the central reservation.”
“We can reasonably conclude these (accidents) are caused by drivers being busy on mobile phones and not paying attention to the road,” he added.
“Everyone wants to stay connected at all times but drivers have to realise a three-second glance at the phone makes one blind for 90 yards.
“That is a whole length of a football field and anything can happen during that time.”
Lt Col Bahar said while Facebook and Twitter use was rampant, the new Snapchat application has made things worse.
In April, it was revealed that around 2,000 new surveillance cameras had been rolled out across Bahrain that included facial recognition technology, which enables police to identify wanted suspects in a crowd.
It could also scan number plates and alert police if a wanted vehicle is detected, even providing data about a motorist’s traffic violations and criminal history,
Each camera can scan the faces of around 75 people at any one time, enabling police to immediately locate fugitives and other persons of interest.
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