More than 3,000 fines in two months after activating contactless patrolling
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, September 27
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that more than 3,000 fines were issued for traffic violations after activating contactless patrolling on some of Georgia’s roads, referring to cameras which detect violations and send automatic information about vehicles which violate traffic rules.
The number of traffic violations detected by the cameras from July 1 to September 1 amounted to 3,065.
However, contactless patrolling does not cover the whole of Georgia, and is only installed on roads with statistically larger cases of accidents.
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs says that contactless patrolling is not conducted towards an identified person or a group of persons, but it also involves the whole traffic process without identifying any individual.
Contactless patrolling identifies only the vehicle that violates the traffic rules.
In instances where traffic rules are broken, a driver is not identified, but a fine is issued in the name of the vehicle’s owner. This is a normal practice, the Ministry states.
In December 2015, the Ministry announced a new traffic security program that would increase safety and raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Contactless patrolling was an integral part of the program.
“Our main task is to protect the lives and safety of citizens, so we are obliged to take effective measures in this regard,” said the Ministry.
“We would like to emphasize that contactless patrolling, as well as the traffic safety project, serves the most important value - human lives and safety,” Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili stated.
The Ministry also claims they would make the driving license more complicated, as those who wish to take the license will have to pass a practical exam on the road from next year and not at definite locations as it is now.
