The Buenos Aires government began to control traffic violations as of this Wednesday, such as the use of cell phone when driving, lack of ciseat belt and improper turns through 215 electronic control cameras.
This measure is added to the current camera system that already monitors speeding and red light crossings.
The 215 cameras who detect risky driving behaviors are “all identified with billboards plus can be viewed in mobility applicationssuch as Waze or Google Maps”, according to the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works of the city of Buenos Aires.
According to the agency, the measure “will improve transparency in the inspection procedure, which will have a photographic record of each offense.”
According to the latest annual report on fatalities presented by the Secretariat, during 2021, 96 people died as a result of a road accident in the city of Buenos Aires.
For this reason, the Buenos Aires Road Safety Plan has control as its axis with the objective of “continuing to reduce fatalities and modifying risky behaviors behind the wheel,” the Buenos Aires authorities specified.
In this regard, they indicated that 6 out of 10 fatal accidents were due to speeding, while 3 out of 10 fatal accidents involved red light violations.
In relation to the cell phone at the wheel, compared to previous years, there was an almost triple increase in drivers using the cell phone while driving: When a driver looks at his cell phone for 3 seconds at 40 km/h, he travels 33 meters blindly.
Infractions and penalties
Regarding the value of infractions, speeding can range from $4,086 to $233,480 (the equivalent of 70 to 4,000 fixed units) and red light violation from $17,511 to $87,555 (300 to 1,500 UF).
For its part, the use of cell phones can range from $7,571 to $15,142 (100 to 200 UF), while not wearing a seat belt or making improper use is equivalent to a fine of $7,571 (100 UF).
Meanwhile, for the discount of points in the scoring systemspeeding subtracts between 5 and 10 points, depending on the type of excess: 5 points if the permitted speed is exceeded between 10% and 30%, and 10 points if it is greater than 30%.
Finally, it was reported that the violation of the red light subtracts 5 points, as well as driving using the cell phone, while the wrong turn and the lack of seat belt subtract 4 points.
