A mobile number plate recognition camera will be used to collect data on the numbers of interstate and intrastate heavy vehicles using the South-Eastern Freeway down-track, as part of the current safety review.
The trailer-mounted number plate recognition camera, which has been made available by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), was set up on the Mount Barker Road ramp (the road from Eagle of the Hill) at Leawood Gardens on the weekend and will remain in place for four weeks, to provide better data about the trucks using the down-track into Adelaide.
The NHVR offered use of the camera following discussions at the two industry Roundtables held in recent months to address safety on the down-track. Those forums followed a serious accident in July when a truck crashed into several vehicles at the Glen Osmond Road/Portrush Road intersection.
The data collected will be used to provide a clearer picture of the number and origins of heavy vehicles using the down-track, to better inform proposed safety solutions. The camera will be used for information collection purposes about heavy vehicles only. Fixed safety cameras to detect speeding drivers are already in place on the freeway.
Since the most recent Roundtable in October, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport has been working to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of potential options to improve safety. A third Roundtable will be held before the end of the year.
To find out more about the South Eastern Freeway Heavy Vehicle Safety Review, please visit the website.
Quotes
Attributable to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis
The South Australian Government remains committed to identifying and implementing solutions to improve heavy vehicle safety on the freeway down-track between Crafers and the intersection of Cross Road, Portrush Road and Glen Osmond Road.
We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the NHVR, whose mobile camera will enable us to collect accurate data about heavy vehicles using the freeway so that any solutions implemented are evidence-based using the best possible information.
It is vital that we continue to work closely with the heavy vehicle industry and other experts so that we can drive solutions that minimise the chance of further serious incidents like the one we saw earlier this year.
Attributable to National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Chief Executive Officer Sal Petroccitto
By using mobile ANPR [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] technology and data analysis, and working with our partner agencies and industry, we aim to create a collaborative solution to address the issues concerning the South-Eastern Freeway.
Through this partnership, we aim to improve the industry’s safety culture and the individual behaviours of all road users, to reduce the likelihood of crashes, fatalities and serious injuries involving heavy vehicles.
