RUSSIA’S DASH CAM FRENZY

Tired of motorists’ wayward ways on Mumbai roads, a Kopar Khairane resident has started videographing violators and sending the footage to traffic cops.Next time you think about jumping a red signal or driving rashly, think again, as chances are that this act of yours might get recorded and be sent to the Mumbai Traffic Police.After witnessing a couple of narrow escapes on the road, and tired of motorists showing no respect for traffic laws, Kopar Khairane resident Venkata Satish (36) has set up a small camera on his car’s dashboard, which clicks the violators while in the act. He has now started sending the footage to traffic cops.Satish, who works for a portal and travels to Mahim daily after driving for around 25 km one side, has already sent footages showing several drivers jumping signals, including those of BEST and MSRTC buses carrying students.“I was tired of seeing drivers who simply broke all traffic rules and refused to drive safely, putting others in danger. In fact, I used to get so upset that I kept getting into fights with the errant drivers. Once at Vashi signal, I started to move as the signal turned green and out of nowhere, a BEST bus jumped a signal and came extremely close. When I argued with the driver about jumping the signal, he said he was allowed to do so. At some point, I felt that I needed to do something,” said Satish.He added that it was then he decided to install a small camera on his windscreen, so that in case he met with an accident he could prove whose mistake it was. Soon he realised that he could actually help traffic cops with evidence against errant motorists.He said the camera was installed on December 30 and the footage showed many drivers violating the traffic rules. “It struck me that I could record and edit the video and send it to the traffic cops with registration numbers and timing of the incident. Then cops could easily fine these people, backed with authentic proof. I have already emailed the first set of videos to Joint Commissioner, Traffic’s office and would soon try to meet him as well,” informed Satish.The portable camera records in High Dynamic Range (HDR), making it easy to zoom on the registration plates. “I always travel with a colleague, Abhishek Rane, as we car pool. Whether it’s my vehicle or his, we put up the camera. All we are trying to do is to help the traffic cops,” said Satish.Last year in June, activist and software developer Sandeep Ohri had also started a Facebook page - ‘Report Mumbai Traffic Violations’, inviting people to post pictures of traffic violations. He then sends the images to traffic cops.Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner for Traffic, Dr BK Upadhyay, said, “I will go through the videos and we will see what action can be taken. It is quite a unique initiative and we always encourage citizens to be vigilant.”♦ According to an Al Jazeera report, an estimated one million Russian motorists have dashboard video cameras installed in their cars♦ Russian dash cam videos, a curious Internet trend, is born entirely out of necessity. The main reasons are dangerous driving conditions and the unreliability of Russian traffic police♦ In the country, most automobile owners have only basic liability insurance, and courts are unlikely to award a payout without clear photographic evidence.♦ Known officially as “videoregistrators,” the cameras offer a cheap and reliable method for drivers to protect themselves against insurance scams, hit-and-run accidents, and aggressive motorists