"Three VIs have been allotted to Lucknow, India"

Traffic police go hi-tech
[ Wednesday, April 12, 2006 01:54:58 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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LUCKNOW: Flouting traffic norms is not uncommon on city roads. Now, the traffic police have geared up to track and record graphic details of errant drivers.

To begin with, the most advanced ghizmo, vehicle interceptors or VIs, used world over to punish traffic violators, would be introduced in the city roads.

The VI is a specialised vehicle equipped with video camera and recorder, video-monitor, speed-monitor and documentation system, breath-analysers, pollution analysers, and communications and telematics to record and document errant driving behaviour.

In a nutshell, it is a scientific vehicle capable of ensuring effective traffic management and road safety.

"Three VIs have been allotted to Lucknow. They look like ordinary maxi-cabs and but would be run by an enforcement crew (EC) that would collect accurate and reproducible evidence of errant driving and traffic infrastructure situation. Through powerful cameras, the crew would be able to locate road accidents from a distance and intervene on time to provide first aid and initiate rescue operations,"said IG, traffic, Braj Lal.

He added that the people to be deployed on VIs have already been sent for training.

To compliment the VIs, shifting red cameras too have been procured by the traffic department. These cameras would be installed at a few main crossings in the city to nab traffic rule violators and those indulging in wrong parkings.

Once identified, the offenders would be penalised. The cameras would be used randomly by traffic cops to keep the violators guessing.

"The camera would be installed at any desired crossing on its tripod stand to record the driving behaviour. After an interval of time, the camera will be attached to an LCD unit where the recording could be seen.

The camera, besides ignoring normal drive, will highlight violation of speed limit. The LCD unit will be attached to a printer which would give a photographic print out of the defaulter,"SP Traffic, Omkar Singh told TOI.

Few more specialised gadgets to check reckless and drunken driving have already been provided to the traffic units.

Speed radar with in-built camera and printer can be used to monitor high speed of a vehicle from a distance of half-a-kilometre. The camera records the vehicle and the driver indulging in rash driving and prints the speed of the car.

Breath-analysers comprise a monitor, a printer and blowing unit. A suspect is asked to blow air into a disposable straw.

In case of presence of alcohol, the monitor gives a printed statement, which can be used as evidence in the court of law.

The statement would be in terms of percentage and in case the presence of alcohol is more than the permissible limit, the person will be booked on the charges of drunken driving.

Besides, traffic cops will be seen in an all new avtaar in times to come. Under this, fluorescent jackets, anti-pollution masks and safety war rechargeable torches would be introduced as part of their uniforms.


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