Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner visited Northam for the launch of the NearMiss pilot program, a partnership between the Road Safety Commission and Shire of Northam.
In a first for WA, the NearMiss camera technology will be trialled for a three-month period in the Wheatbelt and is capable of detecting near collisions between vehicles and/or pedestrians.
The technology uses a portable camera combined with AI software that analyses video in real time to provide insights, severity levels and risk ratings for near miss events.
The data collected from the cameras is de-identified through facial, number plate and vehicle blurring and uploaded to a dashboard. It can then be analysed and used to support the development of road safety planning and investment cases by local government to upgrade or improve road infrastructure.
During his visit Adrian highlighted the importance of utilising various measures to achieve the best road safety outcomes for the state and save as many lives as possible.
'Investing in ways to enhance our data collection, data sharing and data evaluation capabilities will help us to better understand the total picture of road safety,' he said.
'This is why I am excited for the Road Safety Commission to be partnering with the Shire of Northam to explore and invest in this new type of technology.'
The Shire of Northam will trial the non-enforcement cameras at the intersection of Fitzgerald and Gairdner streets. The camera assets are provided by an Australian company called LAB3 and have been successfully utilised in New South Wales. The cost of the trial is $90,000 and is being funded by the Road Safety Commission.
More information about the trial can be found on the Shire of Northam’s website.
Images – Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner joined elected members and staff from the Shire of Northam, and representatives from LAB3 and Real Time Traffic to inspect the new NearMiss camera towers.
