As road safety remains a top priority for authorities nationwide, new technologies are continually being introduced to reduce Australia’s concerning road death toll. This week, another new trial of a mobile camera with “advanced” capabilities was announced.
The new trailers engineered by company Verra Mobility are being trialled in two locations a major arterial road in Melbourne, claiming to bring a broader range of detection capabilities. These include red light violations, bus lane enforcement, licence plate recognition, average speed checks and driver safety monitoring, including mobile and seatbelt offences.
Yahoo News understands that the new cameras do not utilise AI and no fines will be issued during the trial.
The “flexibility” of the mobile cameras aims to create a psychological impact on drivers who will “never know” where they might be positioned at any given time.
“Uncertainty changes behaviour,” Verra Mobility’s Steven Crutchfield said. “When drivers understand that speed limits could be enforced anywhere at any time, they are far more likely to slow down – not just at camera locations, but across their entire journey.”
A close up look at the new road cameras being trialled on a major arterial road in Victoria Source: Verra Mobility
“For this trial, Verra Mobility has deployed two relocatable trailers along Canterbury Road, Melbourne, as part of a four-week non-enforcement technical trial,” a spokesperson for the company told Yahoo News.
“This trial is focused on calibrating and validating the equipment, which is an essential step for generating the insights needed for future deployments across Victoria.”
The data collected in the independent trial on Melbourne’s roads will be shared with the Victorian Government, the company said.
Crutchfield added the cameras don’t require personnel to operate, which can pose safety issues to those who are stationed next to moving traffic.
“Our automated trailer-based systems greatly reduce that risk while helping Governments across Australia ensure the safety of road-users, pedestrians, and workers,” he said.
The trailer also features CCTV, fire suppression systems, GPS tracking, advanced locking mechanisms, and an onboard generator.
Australian authorities cracking down on driver behaviour
The Australian government has set ambitious goals to halve road deaths by 2030 and eliminate deaths entirely by 2050. Across the country, a slew of new rules targeting road safety through cameras were announced this week.
In Western Australia, it was announced that next month, the state’s 2.2 million drivers will face fines if they are caught using their mobile phones, speeding, or incorrectly wearing their seatbelts by the state’s new road safety cameras, following a trial which began in January.
In the ACT, similar cameras will soon be able to pick up a broader range of offences, including drivers and passengers incorrectly wearing their seatbelts.
It’s not the first time Melbourne drivers have been left baffled by unknown monitoring technology, with road users left scratching their heads after spotting a futuristic-looking device late last year.
A leading traffic lawyer previously told Yahoo News that Australians are growing “fed up” with the constant threat of fines.
Hayder Shkara spoke out after Yahoo reported earlier this year that drivers in NSW were warned they could cop a $410 fine if their passenger attempted to take a nap while riding in the front seat of a vehicle, as reclining the seat too far could lead to a hefty ticket for not wearing their seatbelt correctly.
He said the rule was just as surprising to him as it was to the rest of the country, adding it’s “just another” opportunity for drivers to get fined.
Yahoo News contacted Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning but it did not respond by time of publication.
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