Transport Ministry studying use of new camera with extra features

KUALA LUMPUR - The Transport Ministry (MOT) is conducting a study on the use of a new surveillance camera that is able to capture and recognise vehicles using digital plates as a measure to improve and reduce the risk of accidents in the country.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the new features found in the camera are expected to be able to detect the driver, vehicle licence and capture the speed level of the vehicle, thus facilitating enforcement.

"MOT and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) are researching and considering a new direction with regard to the Automatic Awareness Safety System (Awas) cameras...perhaps these cameras will be added but not in the current form (Awas), at new locations.

"However, the use of e-plates is still being studied...our current study is on ways to determine those who have violated regulations and their driving licence, so in future more features will be added to be able to capture information on speed. These new cameras will be installed and more will be added," he said during the question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Suhaimi Nasir (BN-Libaran) who wanted to know what the government plans to do to reduce the rate of road accidents in Malaysia.

In reply to a supplementary question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) on the cost of the new camera, Hasbi said the matter is still in the research stage and the actual cost would be announced if the use of the camera is approved after this.

Replying to Suhaimi's original question about the effectiveness of AWAS cameras, Hasbi said a study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) found that the level of compliance by road users at the location where the cameras were installed reached 99 per cent. - BERNAMA