Most drivers on the roads of Bahrain must have noticed and discussed the huge cameras, shaped like some outsized mobile phone, looking down from lamp posts along highways. These are the smart Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras based on quite sophisticated technology.
The wayward and compulsive violators of traffic rules and regulations now are going to have little respite since the cameras have already been activated. They were activated on Saturday June 11 and they now constantly watch which driver is abiding by the law and who is not.
These are quite different from the familiar CCTV cameras or the ones installed on a few busy signal crossings which had the ability to ‘snap’ the image of a vehicle jumping the red light or helped police track down a driver if he caused an accident and ran away.
The thing is, with the coming of the mobile phones and advancements experienced in the field of Internet as well as the emergence of multiple and enticing avenues in the social media communication, people now tend to remain glued to their mobiles. And some people have got so addicted to the device they do not want to let go of it even for a minute. This has affected the quality of driving which has become increasingly daring, callous and dangerous.
According to Director of Traffic Culture at the General Directorate of Traffic Lt-Col. Osama Bahar, last year alone 28 accidents were reported because of people being busy with their mobile phones while on the steering. Others did not stay within the permitted speed limit or jumped the red signal, which resulted in eight deaths in 2015.
Twenty years ago if you left home you were incommunicado to everyone if you were on the move, unless you had that rare, bulky and expensive gadget called carphone. And few could afford that. Yet everyone managed to stay sane, calm and informed. Today we have mobile phones and we make calls, and we take calls, and we surf the net and watch YouTube and exchange WhatsApp messages and indulge in Twittering and updating our Facebooks and perform 1001 other ‘important’ functions – even when on the move.
As these require both the hands, driving definitely takes a backseat then. This is where the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras come into the picture. Whatever you do now while driving in the smug belief no one’s watching would be captured by these cameras and you will then have to face the legal consequences. So watch out. And keep your mobile away from your sight while driving.