TOKYO: A test by Japan's National Police Agency has confirmed that a newly developed portable speed-monitoring device is effective in slowing vehicles travelling on school zones, especially during the morning commuting hours.
The agency informed police departments across the nation of the findings to encourage them to use the equipment, according to report by Jiji Press.
The total number of the machine in operation is seen topping 100 units in 46 of the country's 47 prefectures by the end of March 2022. The equipment, which is installed on roadsides, can be carried by about two people.
While a police officer is deployed for each machine to prevent the equipment from being stolen or damaged, the device automatically takes pictures of the driver's seats and the licence plates of vehicles travelling at speeds exceeding the limits.
The drivers will be summoned at later dates and issued speeding tickets.
The previous mobile speed-monitoring equipment required police officers to stop speeding vehicles and issue speeding tickets on site. The new type is expected to be used mainly on narrow school zones and community roads, it added.
The NPA conducted the test of the device in the morning and evening for two weeks in February this year on three school zones each in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, and the western prefecture of Hiroshima. The speeds of vehicles were compared before and after the installation of the equipment.
The results were that the average speed dropped on roads with one lane in each direction and "zone 30" roads, where the maximum speed is set at 30kph, according to the agency.
The effect was visible particularly in the morning commuting hours, with the average speed falling as much as about 7kph at an area in Ibaraki.
"In the morning, many vehicles tend to travel (on the same roads) at the same time for commuting, so it was probably easy for their drivers to recognise the speed-monitoring equipment," an NPA official said of the test results.
"We want to ensure school zone safety by effectively using the device," the official added.
