LUSAKA residents, dust off your cars because the long weekend is here! But before you hit the road to Livingstone for the Mosi Day of Thunder with bragging rights to the fastest trip, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has a friendly reminder: keep it safe and legal.
With the long weekend finally announcing its presence for most Zambians, RTSA projects high numbers of excited motorist traveling out of Lusaka which may result in road traffic accidents.
As traffic is expected to surge, the agency is deploying a new weapon in the fight for road safety: smart speed trap cameras.
Unlike that over-eager cop with a potbelly and a radar gun, these cameras won’t pull you over. Instead, they’ll be like a friendly bystander, recording your speed and checking your car’s details against the RTSA database.
If you’re caught speeding or have outstanding traffic fees, a little surprise will be waiting for you – a ticket delivered to you.
So, ditch the lead foot and avoid any unwanted souvenirs this long weekend.
RTSA CEO Aaron Mweemba featured on Hot FM this morning and said that the cameras will help curb speeding which contributes to 90 percent of road traffic accidents.
“What these [Cameras] do is that they will detect your number plate and then they automatically check everything about your vehicle in our data base system remotely” Mweemba explained, “so if you have traffic offenses or fees that you have not paid they will let us know.”
Mweemba said the state of the art cameras will need no human operator and will function as the eyes for the agency.
“We won’t stop you, we just monitor you. We will plant them at the side of the road and they do all the work, its not like the ones the police use where they flag you down.”
“We will let you go on your merry way but you will get a ticket, for either speeding or unpaid dues within two minutes of driving past the camera” he stated.
Mweemba further expressed worry over the continued vandalism and stealing of road signage by unknown members of society.
He revealed RTSA’s plans of producing new road signs made from a different material instead of the usual signs made of steel to deter vandals.
“In terms of road signage, the signs have been there but have been removed and half the time they are being used to make mbaula and the steel pipes to brew Kachasu”
“What we have done, in working with the Zambia Compulsory Standards Authority (ZCSA), they have already approved the change in material that is used for signs from steel to fiber glass and we are hoping that this will address the situation.”
By Elesani Phiri
Kalemba, April 26, 2024
