'Super' speed camera

'Super' speed camera

There’s still much debate as to what the primary cause of accidents are. With the proliferation of speed cameras located all across the country you’d think that speeding certainly was but there are other dangerous driving acts that are just as bad, if not worse.

Governments are finally looking to camera technology to thwart dangerous driving behavior rather than as just a means of revenue raising. In Europe the government is trialing a new type of speed camera that not only detects speeders but tailgaters as well. In fact, the camera is so advanced that it can even detect whether passengers in a passing car are wearing their seatbelt or not.

The technology is called ASSET (Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport) and it’s currently in a technical test phase. If all goes to plan, the first ASSET cameras could be in use by the end of next year and if it’s successful in Europe you can bet that some variation of the advanced camera technology will be used here in the U.S.

The story doesn’t end there as the camera can also detect road surface conditions and calculate traffic emissions. Its developer, VTT Technical Research Center in Finland, explains that the primary goal of the camera is to “improve traffic safety and reduce accidents caused by traffic rule violations.”

 

We never thought the day would come when we were in full support of a new speed camera but when it’s clear that the intended goal of the device is to help save lives rather than raise revenue, then there’s little argument against it.

[Inside Line]