About 13,750 motorists violated the traffic law out of 375,545 vehicles captured by the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Camera in Lagos State, since its inception at the beginning of the year.
The Lagos State Government through the Vehicle Inspection Service in collaboration with Soft Alliance Limited initiated the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras around the state to aid the coordination of commuter movement while ensuring strict and total compliance of motorists to traffic laws in the state.
Director Vehicle Inspection Service, Engineer Gbolahan Toriola said the gesture of the VIS is in line with the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode pronouncement of May 16th 2017, toward observing international best practices in the sector.
He pointed out that the government has adopted this advanced technological intervention to maintain a strong level of enforcement without interfering with the traffic flow. The camera was launched after a number of pilot schemes to test its efficiency considering the nature of Lagos road network.
Explaining the working principle of the new technology ANPR, he said that the camera captures the number plate of the vehicles and records it into the system after which it is synchronized with a data base platform comprising of FRSC, Courteville, LASDRI, NIID, VIS, PTCS to confirm validity, genuineness of vehicles and driver’s document as well as its expiration date.
Toriola also mentioned that some of the cameras were installed on the VIS patrol vehicles to aid in tracking vehicles without plate numbers plying the road. He further assured Lagosians that the cameras have been modified to identify defaulters only adding that those who have done the necessary documentations should not entertain any fear.
He further added that e-tickets are then produced and served to defaulters according to the offenses accrued by the ANPR. It is important to state that this device encourages voluntary compliance. He also emphasized that in case the offender could not be found or does not respond with prompt payment within 7 days, the offender will be blacklisted and charged to the mobile court in addition with 100% increment in the fine.
All these are in tandem with the traffic laws as revised by the State Government. He appealed to residents to cooperate with the government in order to bring back sanity to the roads as this will definitely yield positive and meaningful growth in the transportation sector of the state.
