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Microbus technology helps to catch bad drivers
Microbus in-vehicle computers are part of a new roadside monitoring initiative by Greater Manchester Police to reduce road traffic accidents.
Premier Hazard has equipped Smart Cars with industry-leading Microbus in-vehicle computers for Greater Manchester Police as part of their Casualty Reduction Partnership. The cars are deployed at the roadside to monitor traffic and to catch those drivers that are distracted behind the wheel. Drivers who are caught using their mobiles are sent a letter and, in many cases, also receive a £60 fine and three points on their licence. Those caught not wearing a seatbelt or driving without due care and attention will also receive a fine.
Although similar Smart Car solutions are already available, Premier Hazard found that users were concerned about adding more technology to the vehicle, such as telescopic camera masts and Digital Video Recording (DVR) systems that would potentially exceed the vehicle’s axle weight limit.
Their solution to this problem relied on Microbus technology in two ways. Firstly, they cleverly designed and built a rugged 360 degree, pan and tilt zoom camera system into a mini Opti-max light bar. Initial designs have included non-Microbus cameras but the next phase of development will use the Microbus Sabre zoom camera which provides increased colour resolution and excellent low-light performance down to 1.0lux.
Secondly, they chose the Microbus M-PC2 computer with its own integrated DVR solution. The operator can control the camera via a joy stick or the M-PC2’s touch screen, and record primary evidential footage with timestamps straight onto the computer’s hard drive. This can later be transferred onto external USB drives.
The advantage of this system is that it provides a huge saving on weight and space compared to a separate DVR system.
Roy McClarty, Area Manager at Premier Hazard says: “We are really pleased with the Microbus M-PC2 vehicle computers and future Sabre camera development. The technology has allowed us to develop a compact, yet high performance surveillance solution that can provide huge operational benefits for road accident reduction schemes around the country. So far Premier Hazard has developed a small number of these cars for Greater Manchester Police but there is considerable interest from other police forces and local councils looking for a mobile solution that can be deployed quickly and operated by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).”
Premier Hazard is a UK designer and manufacturer of light bars and light systems and has been supplying the emergency services for 28 years.
