Speed cameras are worthless. At least according to the Estonian government, which is now starting to dismantle all the traps across the country.
Estonia is now dropping all of the country's fixed speed cameras. In fact, the decision has already been made.
In doing so, the Estonians go directly against the mood in Denmark, where a significant majority wants more speed control.
– It is a useless and ineffective monitoring tool, the head of the Estonian transport authority told the media ERR .
The Estonian Transport Authority has initiated a process to remove fixed speed cameras. Out of the original 48 cameras, 34 remain.
No new cameras will be purchased. Instead, the focus will be on alternative surveillance methods.
Priit Sauk, head of the Estonian Transport Authority, states that the fixed cameras are ineffective because drivers are familiar with their location.
Mobile speed cameras already make up the vast majority of surveillance cameras along the roads in Estonia.
Last year, 321,000 violations were recorded, of which over 200,000 were recorded by eight mobile cameras.
Despite this, there are no plans to purchase more mobile cameras. Instead, investments will be made in patrol cars with automatic registration equipment – such as license plate scanners.
Hannes Kullamäe, head of the Estonian Traffic Police, points out that drivers typically slow down immediately in front of a speed camera and then increase their speed. Mobile cameras and patrol cars are considered more effective.
The new technology should be able to register several types of violations, including failure to use a seat belt, running a red light and using a mobile phone while driving.
Violations will then be recorded digitally and fines will be issued automatically, which, Estonian authorities say, will free up police resources to focus on situations that require direct intervention.
Estonia's police chief, Sirle Loigo, states that the current information system is outdated and only partially automated.
There are plans to implement a new, more automated system within two to three years. However, it will require a number of legislative changes if the police are to chase drivers in this way.
Although automated monitoring methods have been discussed for several years, there are still divided opinions about the controls, especially on the roads, where some drivers take matters into their own hands.
Some are cutting down on speed cameras, while others are directly blowing up the mobile speed traps. Read more about it here.
Legal experts believe that current legislation does not allow some of the planned surveillance methods. Conversely, Estonian authorities say that they already have the technology ready if politicians decide to do so.
