Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Speed Tracers launched to check traffic offences

Staff Reporter

Procured under the Modernisation in Government Programme

NEW INITIATIVE: Minister for Transport Mathew T. Thomas flagging off a Speed Tracer in the city on Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Six Speed Tracers equipped with laser-based speed radars, video equipment and digital breath analysers were launched by the Motor Vehicles Department on Tuesday to check speeding, drunk driving and other traffic violations as part of efforts to curb road accidents.

The off-white and maroon-coloured speed tracers were flagged-off by Minister for Transport Mathew T. Thomas from Trans Towers where the headquarters of the department is housed. State Transport Commissioner Ramesh Chandra Bhanu and top officials were present.

The Minister said 98 per cent of the computerisation of the offices of the department had been completed under the Fully Automated Services of Transport (FAST) project. Procured under the Modernisation in Government Programme (MGP), each Indigo car in which the speed radar has been installed costs Rs.6 lakh. The equipment such as laser-based speed radar, video equipment, digital camera and digital breath analyser cost Rs.12 lakh.

A Motor Vehicle Inspector and two Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors will be in-charge of each speed tracer. The speed tracers have been allocated to the Regional Transport Officers of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram and the Deputy Transport Commissioners of Kozhikode, Thrissur and Ernakulam.

Senior Deputy Commissioner P.S. Jose said the driving licence of those found speeding in the first instance would be suspended and their licence would be cancelled if caught subsequently. A unique feature of the speed tracers is that the laser radar can pinpoint the vehicles and take print-outs from the speed radar that has been mounted on the left side of the vehicle.

The various traffic offences committed by motorists such as jumping signals and yellow line violations can be videoed by the officials in the speed tracer. It can be produced in the court as evidence.

State Transport Authority secretary Alex Paul said the department would soon get an interceptor free from the Union Government.

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