3000 Smart Street Cameras to Be Installed throughout Georgia

From late July around 3000 smart cameras will be installed throughout Georgia in order to expose even minor traffic violations. 

The information was released by the Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Khutsishvili on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister says that smart cameras will initially be installed in big cities and later they will be installed in all municipalities throughout the country.

Khutsishvili says that such cameras are very sensitive and even the minor violations will be noticed. He believes that the step will reduce road accidents which have increased in recent years.

He also spoke about the advantages of smart cameras, compared to patrol officers writing fines manually.

“Such cameras automatically catch all kinds of violations and immediately identify the owner of the car. The information is transferred to another linked program that writes protocols. The role of a man in this process is excluded,” he explained.

Moreover, earlier this month, Khutsishvili stated that the ministry is working on a draft of changes that will allow only authorized auto schools to give the necessary education to those who are seeking for a driving license and want to pass national driving exam. 

Khutsishvili claims that courses at certified auto-schools with all the necessary equipment and an improved licensing exam will help decrease road accidents. 

Based on official data from the last year, there are more than 921,000 registered cars in Georgia. 

Today, there are 400,000 cars that drive along the streets of Georgia's capital – this is twice as many vehicles that were driving in Tbilisi in 2010. 

The Interior Ministry announced last year that 6,939 road accidents took place in the country, claiming 581 lives and leaving 9, 951 injured. 

The Georgian Parliament approved tightened traffic security legislation in April this year, after which a 100 point driving license system will be introduced in the country from July 1, 2017. 

By Thea Morrison