- Title: Drones to help Belgian police better understand car crashes
- Date: 18th January 2017
- Summary: RANST, BELGIUM (JANUARY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) BELGIAN POLICE OFFICER SQUATTING BY DRONE EQUIPPED WITH PHOTO CAMERA BELGIAN POLICE OFFICERS STANDING BY DRONE AND POLICE VAN VARIOUS OF POLICEMAN ATTACHING PHOTO CAMERA TO DRONE REMOTE CONTROL, POLICEMAN FILLING UP CHECK LIST DESCRIBING PROCEDURE TO USE DRONE MOCK CRASH SCENE SET UP FOR DEMONSTRATION POLICEMAN PUTTING DRONE ON GROUND BEFORE TAKE-OFF CAMERA ATTACHED TO DRONE, CAR IN THE BACKGROUND DRONE TAKING OFF DRONE APPROACHING MOCK CRASH SCENE DRONE FLYING OVER MOCK CRASH SCENE DRONE FLYING POLICEMEN USING REMOTE CONTROL DRONE FLYING / MOCK CRASH SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN INSTITUTE FOR ROAD SAFETY SPOKESMAN, BENOIT GODART, SAYING: "The use of drones will allow to save time. It means that it will be possible to document accidents in a faster way. For instance, if it took two hours before to complete the documentation manually, today it will only take one hour thanks to the use of this drone. It will also allow to be even more accurate with regards to measurements, which are not done on the spot but based on pictures with computer. It's a win-win situation for both road safety and mobility since it will be possible to clear lanes much faster and to avoid further accidents caused by queues formed after a first accident." DRONE IN MOTION MOCK CRASH AREA / DRONE FLYING OVER
- Embargoed: 1st February 2017 15:02
- Keywords: Belgium Belgian Police Drone Traffic Security Road Accident Safety
- Location: RANST, BELGIUM
- City: RANST, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,International/National Security
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZLYS7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Belgium's federal police showcased on Wednesday (January 18) how they use drones to better document and ultimately understand traffic accidents occurring on highways.
A spokesman for the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (IBSR), which owns the drones and collaborates with police, said the 12,000-euro-worth aircraft allow faster measurements of accident scenes and subsequently a faster clearing of the roads, avoiding the risk of pile-up.
"The use of drones will allow to save time. It means that it will be possible to document accidents in a faster way. For instance, if it took two hours before to complete the documentation manually, today it will only take one hour thanks to the use of this drone. It will also allow to be even more accurate with regards to measurements, which are not done on the spot but based on pictures with computer. It's a win win situation for both road safety and mobility since it will be possible to clear lanes much faster and to avoid further accidents caused by queues formed after a first accident," Benoit Godard said.
The pictures shot by the drones are then processed using photogrammetric tools, a technology enabling security forces to make measurements directly from the photographs, a police statement said.
Though, officers will still have to resort to traditional documenting techniques in situations where the use of drones is impossible, such as during bad weather conditions or inside tunnels.
According to IBSR, 409 people died and 38,097 people got injured in traffic accidents in the first nine months of 2016.
The European Commission says that 26,100 people died on the roads of the European Union in 2015 against 64,000 in 1995 and 45,900 in 2005. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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