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The Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS), utilising a point-to-point method to measure travel time and distance, is set to commence pilot tests on two highway routes in June
According to the New Straits Times, the upgraded AWAS will feature artificial intelligence (AI) technology to monitor the following routes:
– the Genting Sempah tunnel to the Gombak rest stop on the KL-Karak Expressway
– the Senawang toll plaza to the Simpang Ampat toll plaza in Alor Gajah on the North-South Expressway
The new system is designed to replace the existing system, which measures speeding vehicles from a singular position.
Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan explained that the latest AWAS will identify speed violators who travel between two points faster than the estimated travel time based on the speed limit.
"The system, installed at toll plazas, will record travel time based on distance.
"For example, if a driver travelling from Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, to Tanjung Malim, Perak, arrives earlier than the estimated time, their vehicle's licence plate will be detected, and a summons will be issued automatically," he said.
He added that a company has been appointed to conduct the proof-of-concept process for the system at no cost to the government.
Image via Mohd Fadli Hamzah/New Straits Times
The AI-powered system can also recognise drivers' attempts to evade detection by stopping between the two AWAS cameras
"This means drivers cannot escape being detected if they exceed the speed limit, as the system measures both distance and time," Jana Santhiran said.
Additionally, the system will also be deployed at accident-prone areas on long stretches, such as between the Menora Tunnel and the Sungai Perak rest stop.
Citing official data, he said between 2021 and May 2024, the northbound stretch of the Menora Tunnel recorded 458 accidents and nine fatalities.
However, following AWAS installation on June 12, 2024, the number of accidents dropped significantly, with only three accidents recorded over six months and no fatalities reported.
Similarly, the southbound stretch of the tunnel recorded 487 accidents and six fatalities over the same period.
After the cameras were installed, the number of accidents decreased drastically to just six, with no deaths reported.
