As of February, more than
100 camera cameras
located in different parts of the City will begin to take images of the interior of vehicles and thus be able to record the use of cell phones and the lack of use of seat belts when driving.
These cameras also record the turns in wrong places.
So far these three faults were made by traffic agents.
The change in the methodology was informed by the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works of the City.
They are added to two other offenses that are controlled through this type of cameras: speeding and crossing red lights.
In Buenos Aires there are
215 cameras
that monitor traffic: 98 of them detect speeding, the rest are "analytical".
As explained to
Clarín
from the Secretariat, the cameras have
software
that allows them to analyze the behavior of the driver and the vehicle.
"The image is a presumption, there will always be a human eye that determines that there is indeed a fault," they warned.
These types of cameras generate
uncertainty regarding privacy
.
The debate took place in 2017, when talk of this type of technology began, and the same is expected to happen now.
"At no time will the driver's face be visible. And if there is a companion, he will cover himself with a black square," they said.
As for motorcycles, the new
software
will make it possible to detect improper turns.
The City understands that in this way transparency in the inspection procedure is improved, since there will be a photographic record of each offense.
It will no longer be the word of the agent or the controller, against that of the driver or driver.
Questions naturally arise.
Regarding the use of cell phones at a traffic light, do the cameras also take photos when the car is stopped?
"What is
prohibited is manipulating the phone with your hands
. An example: the driver can check the route he has to take through an app as long as the cell phone is placed on the support," they explained.
The driver of a truck uses the cell phone while driving.
Photo GCBA
If what a driver is carrying in his hand is a mate or a bottle, does the
software
detect it?
Yes, it detects it and takes the photo, but the human eye is the one that rules out the infraction.
Strictly speaking, and also for safety, you must drive with both hands on the wheel.
What happens if a photo arrives but the driver is not the owner of the vehicle?
"The owner has to make the discharge with the controller, as it happens with any other fine. He has to indicate who was the person who was driving," they explained.
Violations can be resolved with an offense controller, online or in person, in the communes or at the headquarters of the General Directorate for Infringement Administration (DGAI) at Avenida Regimiento de Patricios 68, Barracas.
What if the software detects another fault and takes a picture?
For example, a minor at the wheel or a minor in the passenger seat: "In principle, the three announced behaviors will be controlled. In any case, the monitoring and analysis of the behaviors is constant and provided they are defined in the Code of Transit, the City has the power to control them", they clarified.
A motorist without a seat belt detected by the camera of Suárez and Isabél la Católica.
Photo GCBA
Manuela López Menéndez, Secretary of Transportation and Public Works of the City of Buenos Aires, said: "Thanks to electronic control, we continue to deepen the controls in a more efficient way so that drivers become aware and put aside these bad habits at the wheel ".
Felipe Miguel, the city's chief of staff, said: "We are confident that by increasing controls, we will reduce these dangerous behaviors."
The privacy debate
"On the one hand, there is the debate linked to privacy. There are people who may wonder why the State, in this case the City,
has in its possession a photo of a neighbor walking down an avenue or street when that neighbor is with someone inside of the car
that is not anyone's business. On the other hand, there is a central issue: the law says that the agent must stop the cause that generates the infraction within a radius of 30 blocks. There must be reliable communication for that driver while it happens violation," explained Fabian Pons, specialist in road safety and president of the Latin American Road Observatory (OVILAM).
A camera detects an unauthorized left turn in Pueyrredón and Santa Fe. Photo GCBA
Pons understands that when it comes to sanctions for the use of cell phones,
those who simply do not use hands-free or
Bluetooth
will end up being fined .
Increased use of cell phones while driving
The Secretariat shared statistical data -which are carried out through a road observatory- that are worrying: "Regarding the cell phone, and compared to previous years, there is an almost triple increase in drivers using the cell phone. When a driver looks the cell phone for 3 seconds at 40 km/h, travels 33 meters blindly. And the use of the seat belt, in all the occupants of the vehicle, fell from 68.5% in 2019 to 63.8% in 2021".
Regarding the location of the cameras, the City clarifies that they are identified with signage and
are also displayed in the mobility applications
used, such as
Waze
or
Google Maps
.
And the location criteria are analyzed according to the type of conduct to be monitored: for example, for the cameras that detect red crossings, the most dangerous intersections, with the greatest pedestrian risk and with the greatest circulation, are identified as transfer centers.
While those that record speeding are located mostly on Buenos Aires highways and on the main avenues, Libertador, Figueroa Alcorta, Córdoba, Cabildo, General Paz, Gaona, Eva Perón, Elcano, among others.
The value of the fines
Speeding: from $4,086 to $233,480 (70 to 4,000 UF);
red light violation, from $17,511 to $87,555 (300 to 1,500 UF);
cell phone use from $7,571 to $15,142 (100 to 200 UF);
not wearing a seat belt $7,571 (100 UF);
improper transfer, $7,571 (100 UF).
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