More than 700 cameras will be set up at strategic points like traffic light junctions, on tall buildings in all cities round the country, and at accident-prone roads and highways.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, who made the announcement in this Swedish capital, said the move was aimed at disciplining drivers, and reducing accidents and fatalities.

He said the Cabinet had given the go-ahead for the Automated Enforcement System (AES) to be implemented in three stages.

Motorists who commit traffic offences such as beating traffic lights, overtaking on double lines and driving in the emergency lane, will be booked if caught on camera.

Currently, CCTVs at highways are only for internal use by the respective highway concessionaires and not for law enforcement agencies like the police or the Road Transport Department, while the CCTVs used by the Integrated Transport Information System (Itis) in Kuala Lumpur are to monitor traffic conditions in the city.

"It's very disheartening to receive text messages from the Road Safety Department every morning on the number of people killed on the roads," said Chan.

Chan was hopeful that road accidents and fatality rate would drop by about 30 per cent once the system is implemented. Last year, 6,188 people were killed on the road.

"The AES is an effective system to discipline and change the behaviour of road users," he told Malaysian reporters after a briefing on a road safety by Swedish Industry, Employment and Communications Ministry's head of transport division Siv Gustavsson here on Monday.

"We will also have mobile surveillance camera units on the ground to complement the static surveillance cameras," he said.

He said photos of traffic offenders and their vehicles, with the date and time, would be relayed to a control centre for the police to determine the type of offences committed and what summonses to be issued.

Under the first stage of the implementation, Chan said, the cameras would be installed in one municipality and one highway by the second half of next year.

"In the beginning, the cameras will only capture those who speed and beat traffic lights," he said.

In the second stage, the cameras will be introduced in all cities, highways, and federal and state roads.

Under the third stage, the cameras will also capture other traffic offences such as overtaking on double lines and driving on emergency lanes.

The Star

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