The Da Nang Department of Transport is still on track to complete the entire traffic surveillance camera system in service for effectively and accurately monitoring and handling traffic safety violations. The round-the-clock operation of these cameras significantly helps to monitor traffic in a more effective and easier manner.

Camera-caught images are transmitted to the Da Nang Police Department’s Monitoring Centre so that its functional forces can monitor and handle traffic safety violations in an accurate and effective manner . Photo: PHUOG UYEN

Many traffic intersections across Da Nang have been installed with peripheral equipment, including traffic lights, control signals and surveillance cameras. Till date, a total of 168 cameras of different types, including traffic surveillance, CCTV (Closed-circuit television) and speed measurement ones had been installed at 71 locales.

Speed enforcement cameras have been installed along some streets boasting a high volume of traffic and at a potential risk of traffic accidents such as Cach Mang Thang Tam, Vo Chi Cong, Truong Son, Ngu Hanh Son and Ngo Quyen in order to monitor if vehicle exceed the speed limits.

As assigned by the municipal government, the Traffic Signal and Public Transport Operation Centre under the municipal Department of Transport is in charge of the management and maintenance of the city’s entire traffic monitoring system.

Meanwhile, the municipal Police Department’s Monitoring Centre task themselves with detecting traffic violations caught on surveillance cameras

According to Chief of the Office of the Da Nang Traffic Safety Committee Nguyen Trung Nghia, Da Nang is one of the first localities in Viet Nam to install traffic surveillance cameras on key streets.

Some violations were directly handled by traffic police who were on duty at or near the intersections thanks to images of these offences electronically sent from technical officers at the municipal Police Department’s Information Centre. As for others, penalty tickets enclosed with hard copies of images of the violations were also sent to violators at home, requiring them to pay fines.

Recently, the Department of Transport has installed traffic control signals and 24 more traffic monitoring cameras on 3 routes, namely Truong Chinh, Nguyen Tat Thanh and Vo Nguyen Giap. 

A statistical report showed that from November 2016 to April 2021, functional forces detected more than 50,000 traffic violations, including exceeding the speed limits, running through the red light, travelling in the wrong lanes, and illegally parking or picking up and dropping off passengers.

Finally, a total of about VND 57.6 billion in fines were imposed on the violations and  more than 8,000 drivers had their driving licences temporarily revoked by the police.

Particularly, since the beginning of this year, through images caught by the local camera surveillance system, the local police have booked a close to 3,200 road users with records of violations in tandem with levied nearly VND6 billion in fines on them.

In fact, strict and clear penalty regulations have helped the traffic users enhance their self-discipline in order to build a more civilised traffic culture in the city.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Son, a resident living on Ngu Hanh Son Street, My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, said that in the past due to the lack of traffic surveillance cameras, many drivers intentionally ignore the signal lights. However, since these devices were installed, more road users strictly obey the traffic rules.

On average, the city’s entire surveillance camera system discovers about 10,000 traffic violations every year.

It is hoped that, given the high efficiency of surveillance cameras, traffic order and safety in the city will be ensured considerably, and this, in turn, leads to a sharp drop in the number of accidents, deaths and injuries.

Reporting by PHUONG UYEN- Translating by A.T