Many of accidents reported on the highways are due to overspeeding and also due to vehicles ramming stationary trucks parked on road margins.
On the long stretches of highways, especially on four-way highway, there is least enforcement for it is practically impossible for enforcement officials to be present everywhere at all the time.
However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has come up with a digital solution for these perilous menace. The NHAI has started fixing closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the entire stretch of Madurai-Kanniyakumari four-way highway. Besides, it is also fixing speed camera radars which will display the speed of vehicles on digital boards to alert drivers.
“The work under Advanced Traffic Management System is underway and would be commissioned in few months,” a NHAI official said.
Speed cameras
The speed camera radars would detect the speed of any vehicle and display it on digital boards installed at 16 locations in the 245-km stretch between Madurai and Kanniyakumari.
“Retroreflective board reading ‘Your Speed’ is being put up near the digital boards with cameras, which would display the speed of vehicles running on each lane,” he added.
The roads have been designed for 80 kmph to 100 kmph speed. The display would caution drivers in overspeeding vehicles to slow down.
The data of these radars, if shared with enforcement agencies, could lead to imposition of fine by traffic police or Regional Transport Office on a real-time basis.
The details of the vehicles with the number plate, location and speed could be generated within split seconds, and officials waiting a few metres ahead can intercept the vehicles and penalise them.
Incident detection system
Besides, a total of 295 CCTV cameras would be installed in the medians and road margins on this stretch. Out of this, 153 cameras will be part of vehicle incident detection system.
The system will detect and alert the nearest toll plaza about unauthorised parking of vehicles and break-down vehicles with live video feed.
“Those manning the toll plaza can alert the highway patrol vehicles or local police about the incident at the earliest for action,” he added.
Thus, parking of vehicles on two-wheeler lane at unauthorised spots will be detected immediately and action would be taken. “Many a time, when two-wheelers find obstruction on their lane, they would avoid the hurdles and come to the middle of the carriage way all of a sudden which could lead to accident as cars following them at high speed hit them,” the official said, adding that such accidents could be avoided.
The NHAI would also put up LED displays for providing variable information emergency and cautionary messages like “Get a break” and “Men at Work ahead”.
Incidentally, the system will also help the NHAI officials to automatically classify and count the number of vehicles plying on particular stretches.
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