Roadside messaging which shows a driver's speed and their registration number is being considered by the NRA. Tim O'Brienreports
A PILOT roadside messaging system which flashes drivers' speed and the registration details of speeding motorists in 18-inch high letters is being considered by the National Roads Authority (NRA).
The UK pilot scheme has already been so successful in alerting motorists and those in the vicinity to their speed - and the imminent risk of penalty points - that it is to be extended across other parts of the UK including the North next year.
The system is a step up from existing vehicle-activated systems which only show a vehicle's speed - many motorists are unaware if these signs are actually showing their speed or that of the vehicle in front or behind.
But the new system which reads the number plates of speeding cars and displays them on the giant roadside screen alongside a warning to "Slow Down" makes it abundantly clear exactly who is breaking the speed limit.
Offending drivers are left in no doubt that if a Garda was watching or the scene was being recorded the likely outcome would be penalty points.
Currently the system is only aimed at warning erreant motorists and is being implemented by the Highways Agency in the UK as a road safety measure.
Number plate recognition systems are now commonplace in the Republic, particularly on the M1 route where gardaí and the Police Service of Northern Ireland use it to monitor a car's travel time between two points, as potential evidence of speeding.
Industry sources said the technology to flash the registration details on the roadside messaging screens is within the capabilities of existing equipment. The system uses garda-style speed cameras and number plate reading sensors coupled with roadside screens.
In the UK, the Highways Agency said none of the motorists whose registrations were flashed up would receive a speeding ticket, at least during the trial period, as the aim was to alert motorists to the situation they were in.
The agency said, however, that the system had been dramatically successful with offenders expressing surprise when their details were flashed from the road side. The question of whether future offenders would be prosecuted is an "operational issue", according to the Highways Agency.
Motorists were monitored along the A12 dual carriageway at Kelvedon, near Colchester, Essex.
The agency is satisfied the system will be extended to other parts of UK, with a probable roll-out throughout 2009, with Northern Ireland "participating fully", according to a spokeswoman.
In the Republic a spokesman for the NRA said the pilot scheme in the UK was being monitored.
He said a similar pilot scheme had not been identified for the Republic, but added that the authority was very interested in the effectiveness of the system in reducing drivers' speeds.