Drivers traveling on Spanish roads are familiar with the multiple types of radars that can be found when traveling. At Moveo, we have reported on the different speed control and surveillance devices used on our roads. From fixed radars located at strategic points to mobile radars that can move to ensure compliance with speed limits.
Within the family of the latter we had not yet explored a surprising innovation that is causing talk in other parts of Europe, particularly in France. These are autonomous mobile radars that literally move by themselves along the country's roads to perform speed control tasks.
These autonomous speedometers represent another step in road surveillance technology. Their ability to move independently allows them to adapt to different locations and optimize the detection of offenders in real time, effectively complementing the work of roadside agents.
In France, the first mobile radars were implemented in 2016. In just one year, violations detected by these autonomous vehicles increased by more than 26%, which translated into an increase of 25.6 million euros in revenue, explains Vitronic. , the manufacturing company, on its website.
These radars have the appearance of a conventional cinemometer, although they are notable for their considerably larger size and robust weight. With dimensions of 2.80 meters long, 1.40 meters wide and 1.59 meters high, and a weight close to 1,500 kg, they require towing when changing location on the road network.
Despite their imposing size and weight, these devices have the ability to move autonomously on the same road, operating remotely for 24 hours and up to 10 continuous days. This autonomy allows them to monitor the speed at various points on the road, whether on straight sections or curves, and in both directions of travel.
Seen from behind, autonomous speedometers are like small vehicles, since they have two rear lights in the middle of which a license plate is placed. The wheels of these devices are covered by a metal structure that, according to Vitronic, is made “bullet and vandal-proof.” However, about a hundred of these radars have to be replaced every year due to damage.
These autonomous radars are equipped with LIDAR technology, a remote sensing method that uses pulses of laser light to measure precise distances, and an integrated Wi-Fi connection. In this way, they have the ability to monitor multiple lanes simultaneously, reaching distances of up to 75 meters in both directions. They can also differentiate between various types of vehicles, whether light or heavy.
In 2016, in France, the introduction of these radars was conceived as an integral part of the traffic authorities' strategy to raise safety standards for drivers, passengers and workers in areas where new road construction projects were carried out. . The implementation responded to a worrying 34% increase in the number of traffic accidents recorded in these areas during the previous five years.
The Government, in response to this significant increase in road accidents, proposed to address the problem on secondary roads, a scenario that historically did not have radar systems. This initiative sought not only to reduce the incidence of accidents, but also to promote safer and more responsible driving in usually neglected areas.
In Spain, it is not planned, for now, for these autonomous radars to reach our roads, sources from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) assure. On the other hand, in France, traffic authorities have already announced that 200 more units will come into operation next year and a total of 800 until the end of the decade.
