Replacement of Awas cameras still under scrutiny - RTD DG

SHAH ALAM - A viral photo and video showing a team of Road Transport Department (RTD) personnel on duty near a black pole is actually a camera being tested out for suitability and accuracy.

RTD director-general, Datuk Rospiagos Taha said that the camera was proposed to replace several existing Automatic Awareness Safety System (Awas) cameras that were too old or had been damaged.

"It is still being tested on its suitability and accuracy of the collected data.

"This is not an unusual thing. Any asset that is old or damaged needs to be repaired or replaced with a new one.

"It is important that the rate of accidents on the road can be reduced through compliance with the speed limit," he told Sinar today.

Yesterday, several pictures of the 'pole' had gone viral across X and WhatsApp.

On June 6, the government planned to add Awas cameras or what was formerly known as the Automated Enforcement System (AES) according to the long term need.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said that this was because a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) found that the level of compliance of road users to speed limit regulations and traffic signals at the location where the cameras were installed reached 99 per cent.

Hasbi also stressed that Awas cameras were not meant to trap road users, but rather, to ensure that all users would obey the rules on the road, especially in black spot areas where accidents would often occur.