"Safe City" Comes to Ohrid, Struga, Kičevo and Debar from Today: 40 Cameras by the Lake Alone

From today, 12 October, drivers in Ohrid, Struga, Kičevo and Debar are driving under the eye of "Safe City". After technical checks and final testing, the Interior Ministry is switching on the cameras in the area covered by the Ohrid regional police - in Ohrid and Struga alone, 40 traffic cameras have been installed that will automatically record violations.

The system has been running nationwide since 1 February, after a two-and-a-half-month adjustment period during which people received notices of recorded violations. The launch in the Ohrid region was announced by Interior Minister Pance Toškovski back on 25 September, during a visit to the Ohrid police. He also gave a figure at the time: compared with the same period last year, the number of people injured in road accidents this year is down 20 percent, or 34 fewer victims.

If that number holds up to independent scrutiny, it's an argument that's hard to dispute. With a camera, neither haggling nor a cousin in the police will help - which in the Balkans is an almost revolutionary idea.

But cameras aren't the answer to everything. They only see where they're installed, and they only fine what can be measured. A drunk driver on a side road or a pothole that causes a crash still needs a police officer and the responsible authority. The goal, according to the ministry, is better traffic discipline. It would be good if, after the first few months in Ohrid, the public got to see how many fines were issued and how many accidents were prevented - so it could judge for itself.