The LTI 20/20 TruCAM video laser speed device has been the talk of the town on the island of Trinidad and Tobago. Within the past few weeks, officials have purchased numerous TruCAMs from LTI’s authorized dealer L & W Engineering, in hopes of decreasing reckless driving and traffic accidents on their highways.
Approval was granted on April 29th, 2016 by the Honorable Mr. Fitzgerald Hinds, the Minister of Works and Transport, for the official use of a video laser speed device designed to capture and record motorists’ speed. According to Mr. Hinds, 55% of fatalities on Trinidad and Tobago’s roadways are a result of speeding. The goal of the TruCAM implementation aims to decrease this number by keeping drivers within the 80 KPH speed limits on highways and 50 KPH on the island’s main roads.
The new speed enforcement implementation has caused some controversy among citizens who believe the speed limit is just not practical. According to Police Constable Brent Batson, Coordinator of the TTPS Road Safety Project, “the practicality is irrelevant to what the law says. The level of enforcement will match that law.” Batson states that the speed limits set in place are “essential for governing a safe road network system.”
The officers in Trinidad and Tobago using the TruCAM feel that everybody has the right to a safe roadway and the new speed devices are going to bring awareness to reckless driving and exceeding the speed limit, which is something that has not been strongly enforced in the past. In just a few, short weeks, Batson says that:
“everyone has reported a phenomenal change in the highway speed. What’s happening is that the average speeds are starting to drop. So you as a reckless driver are going to stand out…it’s going to work. We know what we’re doing.”
Mr. Hinds urges officers to go full-force and non-complying motorists will be heavily fined and potentially arrested. Officers began to issue the first tickets on Thursday, May 5, 2016 and three days later had already issued 50 tickets with a $1000 fine. Motorists are encouraged to change their behavior and obey the speed limits so they aren’t hit with the fine that will be issued to violators.
Batson wants to ensure citizens that they are not out to cause tension on the island. He makes it clear that the officer’s “ultimate goal is to save lives… and to keep families together because we know traffic accidents are almost 100% preventable.”
The TruCAM is not just a laser speed device. It collects and stores a complete chain of video evidence for speeding and produces a high-resolution image that allows officers to identify the vehicle make, model, license plate number, and characteristics of the driver. The police officers in Trinidad and Tobago are combining the TruCAM with a tablet and printer, which allows them to capture the speed of a violator and send that information down the road where a second officer will be waiting with printed evidence.
These news stories provide further information and perspective:
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday – Speed guns to take effect Monday
Guardian – Speeding drivers will be stopped, fined
Read the Follow up blog posted June 19, 2016 – Laser Technology Inc Video Speed Enforcement Solution Causes the Lowest Number of Fatal Road Accidents Reported in 15 Years
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