A new savvy technology traffic system, aiming to reduce road fatalities while monitoring vehicles travelling on national roads, is the brainchild of two accounting graduates from Mahikeng in the North West.
The system, called Anti-Fatal Accidents, operates with road cameras and an app, to assess the speed and roadworthiness of vehicles and provide data in real-time to traffic officers.
This will enable traffic officers to know which vehicles to pull off or issue with spot fines.
The Anti-Fatal Accidents system is a technologically advanced method of monitoring drivers on national roads and to ensure they comply with the rules of the roads.
The system installed road-cameras are designed to automatically assess the roadworthiness of vehicles.
The intricate system will even capture the vehicles finer details like tyre tread.
A report is compiled and sent to traffic officers, even before the driver reaches the traffic officer’s spot.
Karabo Ramasilo is a co-founder of Gariborg.
“Our system affords traffic officials enough data and information that is collected throughout the driver’s journey to then track their reckless behaviour. But the time the driver encounters the traffic officers, they have the information in real time about the persistent reckless behaviour of driving beyond the speed limit.”
Currently, lawless drivers get away with murder.
For instance, those who exceed the speed limits, continue to do so even after being cautioned with a fine, while others only reduce speed, if a traffic camera is installed or when traffic officers are in sight.
Ramasilo says with this system, drivers’ movements can be monitored from point A to B, regardless of jurisdiction.
“Normally how the old system would work is that a reckless driver would be given a ticket and they will continue about their way but they would still continue driving recklessly. But then the difference with our technological system is that data would continue to be collected on that reckless driver up until they get a spot fine and eventually they are taken off the road because they are a danger to other road users.”
The prospects of the new technology has delighted the provincial department of transport management.
The Department spokesperson, Oshebeng Koonyaditse says anything that can help to reduce fatalities and increase compliance, is a welcome addition.
“The law enforcement would appreciate greatly any kind of assistance that would make sure that people comply, first of all, secondly, that would ensure that the law enforcement then gets to basically half their responsibilities in terms of forcing people to comply. So, I’m definitely sure that such an innovation, such a technological advancement, should it be made available to us as the department then definitely we would welcome it.”
The founders of the Anti Fatal Accidents Innovation, are hopeful that the National Transport Department will realise the broader potential of the new traffic system and give it the green light.
