Red-light cameras detected over 800 speeding violations in three weeks since activation of speed function

SINGAPORE: In the three weeks since the speed enforcement function was activated in red-light cameras, those cameras have detected more than 800 speeding violations, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Monday (Apr 29).

The speed enforcement function in red-light cameras was progressively activated from Apr 1 in an effort to improve motorist behaviour on roads.

This would be done islandwide, SPF said previously, especially at locations that are more prone to accidents or violations.

There are more than 250 red-light cameras in Singapore as of last December, although the police did not reveal how many have had the speed enforcement function activated and where these cameras are located.

"Speeding and beating the red light have always been the top two traffic violations. Together, they account for about 75 per cent of the traffic violations committed in 2023," SPF said.

The newly activated function in red-light cameras has expanded the Traffic Police's range of enforcement equipment against speeding motorists, said Deputy Superintendent of Police William Foo, the officer-in-charge of the surveillance camera unit.

However, the number of speeding violations detected is "of concern", he said.

"We will continue to step up on our enforcement and will not hesitate to take action against errant motorists who choose to flout traffic rules," he added.

According to the police's latest annual traffic situation report in February, the number of speeding-related fatal accidents increased by 83.3 per cent in 2023 compared with 2022.

Although there was a fall in violations detected by traffic enforcement cameras in 2023, the number of speeding violations detected by other police enforcement operations increased by 22 per cent, from 52,016 cases to 63,468.

DETECTING TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS

TP officers patrol the roads around the clock, keeping a lookout for motorists who flout traffic rules the police said on Monday, adding that traffic enforcement operations are also conducted regularly.

Additionally, speed cameras and red-light cameras are used to detect violations with the help of laser technology, radar technology or detector loops embedded in the road.

Cameras using laser technology emit laser beams at a vehicle and measure the time it takes for the beam to bounce back to calculate the vehicle's speed.

Those using radar technology operate the same way, except they emit radio waves instead of laser beams.

Cameras that use detector loops - which are typically the red-light cameras - create an electromagnetic field when the traffic light turns red. When a vehicle passes over the loop, it disrupts the field and triggers the camera to capture images of the vehicle.

The speed enforcement function in TP's red-light cameras operates similarly as well, said the police.

"If the traffic violation is detected by an enforcement camera, the violation image or video captured will be processed backend," SPF said, adding that these will then be reviewed by camera unit officers.

All violations go through a "two-layer verification" to ensure validity and accuracy before a report is created, said the police. The entire process could take about two to three weeks.

A notice of traffic offence may be issued to the motorist depending on the investigation outcome.