Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police on Thursday said they have launched a six-month-long camera-based speed enforcement pilot project on the Mumbai-Nashik highway to curb over-speeding and improve road safety.
Praveen Salunke, Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), told PTI that the drive will be mainly focused on the stretch between Shahapur in Thane district, and Ghoti in Nashik district, aiming to reduce accidents.
As part of the initiative, the police have deployed five advanced hand-held speed enforcement cameras at multiple locations along the highway. The devices can be mounted on enforcement vehicles, tripods or used manually by personnel.
According to officials, the cameras can detect speeding violations for both approaching and departing vehicles at speeds of up to 320 kmph, and can measure vehicle speed from a distance of up to 150 metres using laser technology.
The devices are equipped with a “point-and-shoot” mechanism with autofocus to enable quick identification of speeding vehicles while capturing high-resolution images. They are designed to function in all weather conditions, including at night and during heavy rainfall.
Officials said the cameras can also help detect other traffic violations such as non-compliance with seat belt and helmet rules.
The pilot project is being implemented in collaboration with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), a partner under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
The GRSP conducted technical and roadside training for traffic police personnel in handling the devices, including setup, field operations and functionality.
The Maharashtra Road Crash Report for 2023 and 2024 showed that speeding accounted for nearly 70 per cent of fatal road accidents in the state, officials said.
Data collected during the six-month pilot project will be analysed to assess the effectiveness of the enforcement initiative and its impact on reducing speeding violations, they added. PTI KK NP
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