Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A COST-EFFECTIVE CAMERA and sensor system developed by three students from Kilkenny detects when drivers break red lights and sends a photo of their number plate directly to gardaí.
Muireann Greene, Annabel Campion and Faye De Breit of Coláiste Pobail Osraí, a gaelscoil in Kilkenny town, aimed to come up with a deterrent so that drivers think twice about pushing the accelerator when approaching a red light.
Their project is one of 550 exhibits from 225 schools competing for a range of prizes at this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology event at the RDS in Dublin.
They came up with the idea after they experienced many drivers running red lights on their way to school. The group told The Journal that, sometimes, they had to jump back onto the path to avoid being hit.
Using a ‘raspberry pi’ – a small, single-circuit board computer – as well as a sensor, a small camera and python code, Greene, Campion and De Breit programmed their very own traffic camera for less than €200.
The small computer connects to the traffic light and arms itself, the camera and the sensor once it detects that red light has been turned on. Any car that passes by the sensor when the red light is on will have its image taken.
Green, Campion and De Breit programmed a short code – using information freely available online and using AI – that then stores the image in a database after automatically blurring any faces that may be in the picture.
The image is then immediately sent to a local garda station.
“I live beside a traffic light, opposite the school we went to,” Greene said. “There was a lot of incidents – where we’d even call the police – where people would be speeding, but there was nothing to catch their reg. There was no way of them tracking down.
“It was great when we came up with this because it was a way that we’d be able to catch them,” she added.
The group also conducted a survey of drivers in Kilkenny, finding that a small number of people had admitted to breaking a red light from time to time. Others said they had seen drivers run red lights while they were on the road.
During their research, the group stood beside a set of traffic lights in their local town for an hour and found that two drivers chose to run the red light.
All three plan to keep going with the project, and hope to help in some way towards the planned rollout of red-light cameras later this year. The group said they would ask more drivers about their behaviour, and iron out some technical difficulties.
More than 2,000 projects were submitted to this year’s Young Scientist, seeking a place on the exhibition floor at the RDS in Ballsbridge. Over the next three days, 85 judges will choose projects that will win one of the 200 prizes that are on offer.
Students are aiming to win the €7,500 grand prize of Young Scientist of the Year and other awards in their respective categories.
Members of the public can visit the exhibition from tomorrow and a number of acts will be hosted in the venue until Saturday. The overall winner, and some international awards, will be announced on Friday evening.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Snitches.
@Dave Grant: i was nearly hit twice in the past week by drivers breaking the lights. 13000 speeding offences and 1000 drunk/ drug driving since Dec1
@Dave Grant: I thought we already had traffic light cameras ? They ain’t snitches tho the more like “Thomas Edison’s”
@John O Reilly: sure you were John.
@Dave Grant: they should be given medals these young heroes. They will save thousands of lives.
Maybe someone could invent a gadget to detect and fine the middle-lane motorway drivers. If it’s a truck, bus or lorry they should be immediately disqualified from driving. I believe traffic would flow much better if drivers obeyed the rules of the road and drove in the left lane.
@DJ Points: There’s plenty of cars, jeeps and vans that hog the middle lane. Why pick on trucks and buses?
Driver bad habits need to be broken by enforcement. When was the last time you heard of someone getting a ticket for not driving in the left lane?
@DJ Points: No invention required. Like these red light cameras, motorway control and camera systems have been around for decades. Problem is that you need to invest in them and apart from motorways around Dublin, earnings will be lower than the cost.
@Simon @ Conlon Power: i pick on drivers of large vehicles because they are typically limited to 100kmph or less. People will not pass them on the inside. All of which backs up the traffic in lanes 2 and 3, while Lane 1 remains empty!!
@Simon @ Conlon Power: never heard of someone getting a ticket, amd that’s the problem. They should start lashing them out
@Fliep Flap: are you kidding. They will have their ROY in a week
So proud of you girls !! ❤️
Amber Gamblers are one thing – almost semi acceptable – but the amount of Red Risker motorists out there now is mind blowingly common….not like 1 second after light goes red but up to 3 seconds or more…
@UK Hurling Bloke: twice, I’ve been stopped at fully red lights only for a car to come past me and go through it.
@UK Hurling Bloke: something needs to be done urgently and great timing we have these heroes to help us. Let’s go!
I’m in the security game – and this technology has been around for years. Even more advanced stuff than this. Problem is the Councils don’t want to pay for it, and the Guards don’t want the hassle of prosecuting, as it means a day in court if someone challenges the light colour. Would need a dedicated division – they can hardly man the divisions they have, as it is.
They’d sooner just stop one every few months and put it all over Social Media to pretend they’re policing it the whole time, like they do with everything else.
@Steve Davis: they’re introducing cameras on traffic lights within the next few weeks in Dublin
Fair play… Imagine we researched and designed practical solutions to the infrastructural problems we have!! lol just messing go back to sleep
@Thesaltyurchin: it’s a good idea and yet I don’t like it. You can’t cure stupid and bad human behaviour. Maybe I’m getting old but I don’t like being filmed everywhere :-(
@offside again: No, but you can capitalise on it. Remember 99% of all ‘design’ goes straight into making money for a handful of lads as opposed to benefiting society.
@Thesaltyurchin: A lot of the infrastructure problems in Dublin where they are installing the cameras is simply the roads themselves, they were not built for what is using them. Add that some some crazy urban planning and we have major issues.
Cameras do work, they have done already where they were tested.
They will regret this when they start driving
Can the Gardai do something about drivers going around with only one headlight working? In about 15mins last night and 15 mins this morning,I encountered about 10 cars with only one light driving in the dark. I thought one was a motorbike until it passed close to me and I realised it was a car. Also this morning,blinded from behind by headlights on full beam and fog lights,even though it was daylight.
@Larry Betts: the Irish are really bad drivers. I remember safety ads from a long while ago that had this theme ‘if I was the only one on the road’.
Nothing changes in Ireland it seems !
@offside again: I read somewhere this morning that half of the cars tested failed the NCT. These unroadworthy cars shouldn’t be handed back to the drivers with an advisory “get this fixed” Have a workshop attached to a test centre,and when all repairs are done,let the owner have it back. It may take a few days or more,but it would ensure cars being tested are up to scratch rather than leaving it in for the sake of it. Workshop charge going rates for repairs, nice little business while ensuring all cars are in roadworthy condition.
@Larry Betts: yeah! it’s like one of them odd periods when you notice alot of heavily pregnant people in the same week…. so too is the one headlighter this wk.
@wwvCLOuF: You can’t help noticing cars driving towards you in the dark with one beam too high and the other one not working. Drove home in the dark last night,met 4 cars in a 15 min journey Drove back out this morning in the dark,met 6 cars in a 15 min journey. Didn’t see any pregnant ladies though,probably because you weren’t around to show them off
@offside again: If you had the only…car in the world…you could drive as you please, but you haven’t and you can’t. Can remember it like it was on telly last night.
@Larry Betts: How many failed for simple things like forgetting to remove hubcaps or not having the boot empty? Or too much rust on a non structural part of the body? Statistics on what the failures are for would help understand the problem. I’m sure lights and tyres play a part but I don’t honestly think that bad shocks, broken springs, and savage oil leaks are major factors.
Ye are winners no matter the outcome. Tech brains of the Musk’ish industry.
@Tom Moylan: Musk have never invented anything, he bought Tesla.
The city near where I live in Spain identified 4 places where people jumped red lights and people were injured or killed. They installed cameras that take nice pictures of you if you jump the red and you get fined €200. Been doing it for 3 or 4 years now. And guess what? People still break the red lights and people still end up in hospital. Here, you have to make eye contact with the driver and even then, there’s still no guarantee they’ll stop. I’ve seen €400 worth of fines at a single red since each camera is on a dual lane ring road. It boggles the mind.
Allow drivers to take a left on a red if there is no approaching traffic
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: Stop. Red means stop,not Hey let’s head this way instead
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: No, those sort of hit and miss rules lead to chaos!
Well done to all! IT should be implemented immediately. Had to pull kids back where I am. Disgraceful disregard for traffic lights!
A super idea, but the data-sensitive brigade will claim a breach of data rights. But if you do no wrong, you’ve nothing to be concerned about !
@Ian McDonald: By that logic the guards can walk into anyone’s house anytime and just take a look around. Sure if you’ve nothing to hide what’s the problem?
With the advent of cameras in cars if you video someone breaking a light you should be able to submit it to the Garda and get paid half the fine. Encourage people to report law breakers.
@Trump24: that’s quite a nice idea actually…
@Trump24: Gives a new meaning to ‘dash-cam footage’ that they’re always looking for
Why can’t there be a gadget developed that would stop people from playing with their smart phones behind the wheel and including scooters. How many people are playing with their phones waiting for lights to change to green.
Phone manufacturers could bring this in this technology as the COVID Notification System never left the phone post pandemic.
@Tommy: I actually spotted someone working on their laptop as they waited for the lights to change once. The lights went green,he folded it down and put it back. That’s a distraction to his driving for a start once he moves on,thinking about business rather than keeping alert on the road.
https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2024/04/15/traffic-light-cameras-to-be-place-by-early-next-year-eamon-ryan/
Maybe the girls one is cheaper, Best of luck.
Yeah like a 40 ton HGV is going to stop at a red light when the driver misjudged when the light is going to change . This is a terrible idea .
@Jack Moss: If you drive a 40 ton HGV you should be driving at an appropriate speed to be able to stop in time if the light turns to amber. And then turns to red. Life is not a video game. It’s a matter of life and death or serious injury.
@Larry Betts: Not as simple as that . Depending on the weight in the back will determine how early you should break when you approach a light . You maybe carrying a different load and weight each day . It’s very easy to get a wrong.
@Jack Moss: You shouldn’t get it wrong. You know what you are carrying,you know how you must drive. Causing an accident is no excuse because Oops,I wasn’t expecting that!
Excellent set up, Raspberry Pi and sensor cost €200.
After government procurement, €20,000 per unit with 6 months IT support.
That technology has been around for years in modern countries unlike backwater Ireland
Any update on the Mad cyclists and school kids who break every rule in the book
It should be brought in immediately but I imagine the reason it’s not is the cost, once they’d be installed driver behaviour would change immediately and revenue from the traffic light cameras would be very small.
Still not possible yet to upload video to the gardai https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/dashcam-users-will-be-able-to-report-dangerous-drivers-by-uploading-footage-to-garda-portal/a889421026.html
Put ‘em on every intersection and auto send the fines out.
have your say