Saving lives with science

from Intertraffic World 2018

Last word

Established scientific methods are being applied to traffic enforcement in a fresh way as the industry works to ensure violations are accurately recorded

Words | Paul De Vocht, De Vocht, Belgium

Although the term ‘metrology’, the science of measurement, was first adopted in 1780 by the French, the science behind it dates as far back as Egyptian times. Initially used only to make common measurement units for weight and length, it has now evolved into a multidisciplinary science that encompasses all possible measurements of units. Today metrology and traffic enforcement regulations are intertwined.

Enforcement of traffic regulations is a key element in reducing road deaths and injuries. But traffic has become so dense and complex that simple visual observation by a police officer tends to be more frequently challenged by motorists. The police and highway management office now have all technical tools at their disposal to enforce regulation breeches such as speeding, red light jumping, tailgating and overloading.

But are these technological tools to be trusted? Can police, the prosecutor and the judge rely 100% on the accuracy of speed measuring equipment? Do motorists have to accept the measurement results or do they still have grounds to challenge these results?

When both sides accept measurement results, traffic regulation enforcement takes an important step forward. There are three stages to ensuring this can happen.

First of all, governments need to have a detailed list of the necessary technical functionalities and clear requirements regarding the precision (measurement uncertainty) of the speed enforcement. They should also describe the test criteria and procedures to check the compliancy with the technical requirements. These should be published as a public text to guarantee transparency toward all the stakeholders.

Following this, the next stage is to approve the model. To achieve this, law makers should specify that only equipment compliant with the technical requirements should be deployed. The proof of this compliancy is a document called Model Approval. It can only be delivered after rigorous testing of prototype equipment. It is recommended that only national scientific institutes or ISO 17025-accredited metrological labs perform these tests.

The final stage is to verify or certify the model. When an approved equipment type has been manufactured, a guarantee must be given that the equipment is 100% similar to the approved prototype and that the

measurements are exact and precise. This process is called verification or certification. The best guarantee on independent testing is an ISO 17025-accredited metrological lab.

But as equipment is used frequently, sometimes in harsh conditions, a guarantee must periodically be given that the unit is still measuring within the legal tolerances. This periodic verification should be performed at least once every year, or even over shorter intervals.

For section control (point-to-point) the exact distance and average speed can only be measured with a special dedicated vehicle. This vehicle must be equipped with a calibrated measuring device, operating independently from the odometer.

All stakeholders, especially governments or traffic police, must be aware of these steps and must either have the necessary competencies to process all equipment, or use only ISO 17025-accredited metrological labs. Should any questions arise, a few global operating companies offer expert advice and testing/verification. One such is De Vocht, an accredited ISO 17025 metrological lab that is rigorously independent and operates in Europe and the Middle East. n