On Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia, in place of the old cameras that are currently out of order, the first two fixed cameras will be installed which will work with AI technology.
A relevant decision was made by the Traffic Police and now the necessary processes are being carried out so that the management company can make the changes required for the two new cameras to start operating.
As explained to us by the Traffic Police, the two fixed cameras on this avenue will be placed in place of the existing ones in the Engomi area, both from one direction and from the other. These will work with artificial intelligence technology and will record only one offense: that of using a mobile phone while driving.
In essence, they will record the passing drivers and on the basis of an algorithm it will be recognized whether or not a driver has his hands free at the wheel.
When it is recognized that the driver was holding the mobile phone while driving, then the process will begin for an officer to see the relevant video and if there was indeed a violation, then the out-of-court notice will be issued. The Traffic Police will implement this measure in the first phase as a pilot and then it will be extended to other parts of the cities that will record special illegalities only.
As it has been established, the use of a mobile phone and the driver's distraction are currently the first cause of death on Cypriot roads. According to statistics, the death of half of the drivers of vehicles killed on the roads is due to distraction, which is attributed to the use of mobile phones.
Just last week, the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis, admitted that there are many drivers who, even while driving, watch videos on TikTok, seriously endangering their own lives and the safety of other road users.
As he announced, the Ministry of Transport is promoting the installation on the roads of new fixed cameras that will utilize artificial intelligence, with the aim of detecting drivers who use a mobile phone while driving. The Minister of Transport noted that initially, the system will be installed on a pilot basis and depending on the results, its implementation will be evaluated.
In another effort to reduce deaths, instructions have been given for mobile cameras to be carried more hours in cities instead of more on highways, since the urban fabric records most deaths from road collisions.
Also, as "F" had recently written, the installation of fixed cameras on the highways is being studied, which will record the speed limit at the beginning and end of the route and if it is found that a driver was moving at a higher speed than average, he will be reported.
In the meantime, the Police continue to serve out-of-court notices from the photo-labelling system for which the managing company has tried to serve them and failed. The service is done at the checkpoints and at police stations, while soon they will be served to any driver found on the road moving while an out-of-court order is pending against him who has not received it.
Of the total 360,000 out-of-court notices pending today, there are more than 50,000 related to the first year of operation of the cameras and the offending drivers were either not detected, or deliberately avoided receiving them and it was not possible to serve them.
The problem is now being attempted to be solved by serving at the crossing points to and from the occupied territories, as well as in other ways, while a bill is being promoted to inform drivers about pending out-of-court notices via sms or e-mail.
