Police to use two-direction speed cameras after surge in motorbike accidents

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is from the start of June to begin using mobile two-way speed cameras to monitor road speeds as summer approaches, with motorbikes as a particular focus.
Summer is a hard time for the PPA in terms of traffic, as people tend to get out and about more, including in or on vehicles not suited to the winter and even early spring.
Taavi Kirss, head of the PPA's traffic supervision department, said: "There are all sorts of major events coming — graduation parties, other gatherings," adding that this can be accompanied by "drunk driving in the evenings, speeding; major speeding. Last year, there were quite a few tragic cases where people were injured or killed. We hope there will be fewer such examples."
Nonetheless, the traffic situation in Estonia has worsened in recent years, with motorbike incidents among the reason for this change. Last year, Kirss said, 119 traffic accidents involving motorcycles which resulted in injury were recorded, along with nine fatal accidents involving motorcyclists. Most of these were single-vehicle accidents, meaning only the motorcyclist was involved — typically caused by overestimating riding skills or speeds inappropriate for traffic conditions, the PPA told ERR.
So far this spring, speed cameras have detected more than 400 cases of motorcyclists speeding, so the picture hasn't changed much and some riders even feel more emboldened than car drivers might do.

"When we work with cameras today or patrol the streets, we've noticed that motorcyclists aren't deterred by PPA surveillance — they feel they're outside the scope of enforcement. Since motorcycles lack front license plates, they are less likely to be stopped. This has led to an increase in motorcyclist fatalities," Kirss added.
However, the change planned for cameras to operate in two-way mode is open-ended and will not just be confined to "motorcycle season." This shows they aren't being adjusted solely due to bikers.
"We will apply this based on need, and sometimes we'll still measure only in one direction. This is our own decision," Kirss went on.
Indeed the PPA and other agencies are increasingly concerned about the overall state of traffic. Last year, 69 people perished in traffic accidents in Estonia, while 2,164 were injured.
"The traffic picture is not improving year by year — it's actually getting worse. And we are looking for different methods to somehow improve it," Kirss acknowledged.
About a third of all road traffic accidents relate to speeding, the PPA said.
The video below involved a motorcyclist, along with passenger riding pillion, speeding through the Haabersti district of Tallinn. The rider's own dashcam footage was used in evidence against them. The rider was stripped of their license for 16 months and required to pay court costs, after being clocked at speeds of up to 191 km/h in residential areas.
Kirss noted that cutting the maximum speed in central Tallinn from 50 km/h to 40 km/h last year was followed by a drop of 36 percent in accidents involving pedestrians.
"A slightly lower speed, maybe together with drivers being more attentive, helps reduce casualties. We truly hope so," he added.
While the PPA's eight mobile speed cameras have always had the capability of measuring speed in two directions, this is now being employed consistently.
"Previously, the camera detected only approaching vehicles exceeding the speed limit, but going forward it will also capture those speeding away," said Roger Kumm, head of the PPA's prevention and misdemeanor proceedings bureau, told ERR.
This change will double a camera's range of effect and allows the police to automatically monitor motorcyclists for the first time.
The cameras will start operating this way from June 1, and existing cameras will be used – the PPA is not making any new purchases.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte