Athens Expands Surveillance to Combat Road Accidents: New Cameras to Monitor Traffic Violations

In a major push to improve road safety, Athens is set to significantly increase its fleet of traffic monitoring cameras in the coming years.

Hundreds of digital eyes will soon be scanning the streets of the Greek capital to curb the rising number of road accidents and violations.

Currently, the city of Athens is equipped with a relatively small number of cameras. Approximately 50 cameras are spread across Attica, with 12 located on bus lanes operated by OASA (Athens Urban Transport Organization) and the remaining 35 or so situated at 15 key points along the Attiki Odos, a major highway. Of these, the highest concentration of cameras can be found along the Ymittos Regional Road, where the most speed limit violations are observed.

This strategic placement is no coincidence. The Ymittos section of the Attiki Odos is considered one of the most hazardous stretches due to its sharp curves and steep gradients, which necessitate a lower speed limit, often not exceeding 70 km/h. These challenging conditions have led authorities to focus surveillance efforts on this area to reduce speeding and accidents.

In an effort to further enhance traffic monitoring, plans are in place to install 1,388 additional cameras across the region in the coming years. A portion of these cameras—388 in total—will be part of a project funded by the Attica Region, with installation set to begin in the summer of 2025. These new devices will be strategically positioned at traffic lights to catch those who run red lights, putting themselves and others at risk.

The remaining 1,000 cameras will be rolled out through a public tender process, targeting a broader range of traffic violations. These cameras will be capable of detecting offences such as speeding, the use of mobile phones while driving, failure to wear seat belts or helmets, violations at pedestrian crossings, and even identifying vehicles without proper inspections or insurance.

A key difference between the two groups of cameras is that while the 388 cameras will capture images of vehicles at traffic lights, the 1,000 cameras will photograph the front of the vehicle, identifying the driver. This approach requires approval from the Greek Data Protection Authority due to privacy concerns.

With a growing number of cameras and stricter enforcement, authorities hope to significantly reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads.

Source: pagenews.gr