The Road Traffic Inspectorate encountered problems whereby motorists approaching the fixed camera sites reduced the speeds in order to comply and there after disobeyed all other traffic rules. In an endeavour to ensure road safety on public roads, the Inspectorate embarked on the speed over distance project. The project is based entirely on the “Time over distance” theory i.e. Speed = Distance / Time. An average speed section is selected and its distance accurately measured by an accredited laboratory. A camera is then placed at both the beginning and at the end of this section. These cameras capture ALL vehicle number plates passing through the section and a GPS timestamp is attached to each image. The images are then transferred to a central room for further processing. The number plates are then matched using a number plate recognition system, and the average vehicle speeds are calculated. Violations are then transferred in their encrypted format to the relevant prosecuting authority.
