The Ministry of Public Security is launching the A-3 Program (Traffic Safety Cameras). On Sunday, February 5th, 2012, the first cameras that were installed along "dangerous" roads will begin operating. The cameras were installed along those roads and intersections with traffic lights which have had the highest number of severe accidents. The Director General of the Ministry of Public Security, Mr. Ya'akov Ganot, instructed the professional factors within the Ministry of Public Security and the Israel Police to publish the location of the cameras and the enforcement regions, in order to maintain transparency and provide optimal public service.
The distribution of 28 operation stations is the first segment of the initial stage of the project. At the end of the initial stage, 180 operation stations will be distributed and 60 cameras will be activated – two thirds of which will be speed cameras, and a third of which will be traffic lights cameras.
The A-3 program is an automatic electronic enforcement program for monitoring incidents of speed violations and crossing red lights, and is meant to minimize the number of road accidents. The Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Public Security, Mr. Eliezer Rosenbaum, stated that "the purpose of the program is to generate change within the driving culture of Israeli drivers; to substantially minimize the number of road accidents, and the number of people being injured and killed on the roads; to deter drivers from committing traffic offenses; and stop the 'road bullying' phenomenon".
The A-3 system is comprised of a chain of digital cameras that are installed along selected roads and intersection, and photograph vehicles that have committed traffic offenses such as exceeding the speed limit or overrunning a red light. The image is automatically transported to the Control and Monitoring Center, and later the entire image is personally reviewed by an officer. Finally, following the officer's approval, a report is issued. The entire process is fast and effective, and the issued reports are transferred to the owner of the vehicle that has committed the offense. Within 96 hours a report is sent to the citizen, which includes a documented image of the offense. An automatic electronic enforcement has many advantages, primarily shortening the time span between committing the offense and receiving a report, thus increasing the deterrence factor.
The selection of locations for the A-3 cameras was based on road accident data from 2006-2010, which mapped the number of accidents caused by exceeding the speed limit or deviating from the lane. These accidents constitute 54% of all causes for severe accidents in 2011.
Data collected by the Israel Police Traffic Division indicates that the number of selected road sections only constitute 11.2% of the overall length of roads in Israel. Nonetheless, they make up 27% of the overall number of accidents, 30% of the overall number of severe accidents and 24% of all fatal accidents which occurred on highways between 2006 and 2010. In addition, it also indicates that excessive speeding is the main cause for the fatal accidents.
The Ministry of Public Security is urging drivers in Israel to join the national effort to generate a change in the Israeli driving culture and to save lives.