They want e-cigarettes to be banned while driving. Why this will lead to illegal fines Developer of traffic police cameras Laskin: Electronic cigarettes while driving cannot be tracked without error 09.27.2024, 14:31

The Russian Ministry of Transport has prepared a draft amendment that will impose new restrictions on drivers. 2.7 of traffic rules (traffic rules). It is proposed to amend the paragraph – now it talks about the ban on using a phone while driving without a hands-free system.

“[Запрещается] Using any device not foreseen in the vehicle design while driving and requiring the use of hands “Distracted driving or distracted driving, except for cases of using the vehicle’s functions without using hands to determine the route of movement,” the amendments say.

The Ministry’s document is currently under public discussion. The Ministry of Transport explained to socialbites.ca that its initiatives are aimed at drivers who hold tools in their hands while driving.

“The proposed changes to traffic rules envisage a ban on the use of various devices that can distract the driver and reduce his attention. These changes are aimed at improving road safety, as well as updating existing standards that do not take into account the emergence of new and various modern devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.),” the ministry’s press service said.

The main devices targeted by the tightening of traffic regulations were identified by the Ministry of Transport as tablets, smartphones and the vehicle’s own multimedia if used to watch videos while driving.

The ministry also avoided answering socialbites.ca’s questions about whether electronic cigarettes would be banned and how traffic cameras would distinguish them from regular cigarettes.

Device or sandwich – the inspector will decide

Anton Shaparin, deputy chairman of the National Automobile Association, told socialbites.ca that from the current wording of the amendments it follows directly that drivers will not be able to use any devices, including electronic cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

“There is a direct ban not only for e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes, but for all devices in general, except for cases where you interact hands-free with a navigation device and navigation software,” the expert said.

According to him, if the changes are adopted, the use of electronic cigarettes, tablets and other devices while driving will pose a potential danger. Fine of 1.5 thousand rubles.

Shaparin said it is necessary to limit the use of certain devices while driving to reduce the risk of accidents, but emphasized that managing such violations is labor-intensive and there will be many errors in decision-making.

“In the current formula We’re not talking about regular cigarettes yet. “I think the situation will be extremely simple: if a person holds any device in his hand, photo and video cameras will take a photo of him and the inspector will see whether it is a device or a sandwich,” Shaparin suggested.

There will be a lot of mistakes

Neural networks are already capable of detecting unfastened seat belts and phones in the hands of drivers; They can be trained to monitor e-cigarettes. However, when detecting such violations, cameras produce much more errors than in the case of license plate recognition, Sergei Laskin, general director of the Astralab company, which develops software for traffic police cameras and data processing centers, told socialbites.ca.

“We are faced with a camera installed at a fairly high altitude on the street and looking at you through the windshield, which can therefore become dirty or clogged. “Therefore, such violations are under-detected,” he said.

At the same time, Laskin added that violations such as unfastening the seat belt or smartphone in hand are not processed completely automatically: The camera detects the object with a certain probability, and then everything depends on the conscience of the inspector.

The expert emphasized that in case of excessive speed, many inspectors neglect a thorough study of the materials, hoping for the accuracy of plate recognition by the complex, but there is a possibility of errors. This is also the case when you notice unfastened seat belts or phones in drivers’ hands: According to Laskin, 20 out of 100 detected violations now turn out to be fake camera alerts. It will become even more difficult for photo-video recording systems to distinguish an electronic cigarette from a regular cigarette, so inspectors will have to review the entire set of information received “manually”.

“You can teach a neural network to detect that there is a cigarette in your hand, just like we teach it to detect that there is a phone in your hand. The whole question is how likely the error will be. I think it will be difficult to reliably and qualitatively distinguish an electronic cigarette from a regular cigarette. And I hope this initiative is just a belated April Fool’s joke,” Laskin said.

socialbites.ca sent questions to the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the attitude towards the initiative of the Ministry of Transport and the readiness to manage materials on the presence of gadgets and electronic cigarettes in the hands of drivers; Although it was published, the editor did not receive a response.