Solution Topics

IP Video Surveillance for Traffic Control and Road Safety

Topic: Traffic Control and Road Safety

We all know that the roads can be a dangerous place. Speeders, drunk drivers, people talking on cell phones or performing other tasks while driving: every day accidents occur on our roads. We also all know the feeling of sitting in traffic, waiting for the congestion to end so that we can get from point A to point B. An IP video surveillance system for the roads in your community can aid both in making the roads safer and providing information on traffic conditions before you head out onto the highways.

Benefits of Video Surveillance: Traffic Monitoring

We�ve all seen the traffic reports on the news. Oftentimes mounted cameras are used to show us live video of traffic conditions as the reporter tells us of what is happening. This is one benefit of video surveillance on the roads: allowing for commuters to have access to live information of exactly what is happening on the roads and where.

Oftentimes video feeds will also be linked to web sites, allowing interested commuters in gaining access to video feeds all over the city. This is made all the easier with the use of IP video surveillance cameras. These cameras have built-in web servers which make it easy for their video feeds to be automatically transmitted over the Internet.

Through careful viewing of video records made by these IP video cameras, detailed analyses can also be made of traffic patterns and condition on the road. This can help with estimating the most congested times of traffic, when and for how long �rush hour� goes on and in what places it is worse, etc. All of this information can prove invaluable to commuters.

Benefits of Video Surveillance: Enforcing Traffic Laws

Carefully mounted video surveillance cameras can also assist in catching violations of traffic law. Whether it be speeding or running a red light, cameras placed in the right place can capture the information and even provide a clear image of the license plate so that tickets and/or warnings can be sent to the perpetrator. This makes the job of traffic control on the roads much easier, clearing up police time to pursue more serious offenders while ensuring that breakers of traffic law are brought to justice.

The simple presence of video cameras can also encourage safe driving. After all, everyone slows down and drives more cautiously when a cop is around. Video cameras, once in place, are always around, and will help many drivers to make sure they pay attention to their driving so as not to get caught.

Placement of IP Video Cameras for Roads

Because of the nature of roads, proper placement of video cameras for your IP video surveillance system can seem tricky. There are not many places where cameras can be placed. However, there are several logical choices. Traffic lights, for example, can easily hold cameras. Power can be supplied to the camera through the same source providing power to the lights.

Depending on the area in which you are setting up your surveillance system, chances are you are not going to want to place cameras on every single traffic light. Examine traffic patterns, pick out the most commonly used and possibly abused intersections for prime prominence in placing cameras.

Other regular road fixtures can also be used for placing video cameras. Where applicable, places like the sides of buildings, lampposts, etc., can all make great camera mounts. If needed, you can build a special mount just for the placement of your camera, however this is not needed in most cases, as there will be ample places for IP cameras to be mounted with what is already available.