Watchman camera
Encyclopedia
The Watchman Casualty Reduction Scheme is a traffic calming
Traffic calming
Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...

 measure used in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The scheme comprises various methods to reduce traffic speed including cameras and Variable Message Signs
Vehicle activated sign
Vehicle activated sign is a generic term for a type of road traffic sign which displays a message conditional upon the presence, or speed, of a road vehicle. These devices are used for speed limit enforcement at some locations in the UK....

 which flash the speed limit when a driver is going too fast. The cameras do not issue fines or penalty points
Point system
A demerit point system is one in which a driver's licensing authority, police force, or other organization issues cumulative demerits, or points to drivers on conviction for road traffic offenses. Points may either be added or subtracted, depending on the particular system in use. A major offense...

to the driver, but record the number plate, speed and time of vehicles. The scheme has been very effective on keeping general traffic speeds below the limit of the road. Each Watchman System comes standard with high-speed communications allowing access to live and recorded video images without having to physically visit the unit. This feature allows traffic managers remote access from a PC, laptop or dedicated control room.
Each unit can be programmed to take appropriate automatic action upon detecting a certain speed of vehicle, for example, automatically issuing a letter to the owners of vehicles traveling in excess of 50 mph on a particular stretch of road, or to capture on video the passage of vehicles driving above a certain speed.

In addition to recording the information of speeding vehicles, a Watchman System can also be used for long-term analysis of traffic movement by counting each passing vehicle and registering its speed. Details of up to 2 million vehicles can be stored into its hard disk, in essence creating a traffic census for the stretch of road. It can also be used to track suspect vehicles after crimes.
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