Pune Rural Police Deploy Laser Speed Cameras For The First Time To Curb Overspeeding; Six-Month Pilot Project Launched In Lonavala And Maval Areas
Pune Rural Police Deploy Laser Speed Cameras For The First Time To Curb Overspeeding; Six-Month Pilot Project Launched In Lonavala And Maval Areas
Pune, March 9, 2026: In a significant step toward strengthening road safety and controlling overspeeding, the Pune Rural Police has launched a pilot project using laser speed cameras for the first time. The six-month initiative has been introduced with the support of the Global Road Safety Partnership under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
The pilot project began on Saturday in the jurisdictions of Lonavala and Vadgaon Maval police stations in Pune district. As part of the initiative, three TruCam II laser speed cameras have been deployed along the old Mumbai–Pune Highway and other key locations within the Pune Rural Police limits.
The cameras were formally handed over to Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill by senior road policing advisor Paul Simcox of the Global Road Safety Partnership. The project aims to reduce road accident fatalities and improve overall traffic safety through stricter enforcement of speed limits.
According to the Pune Rural Road Safety Report 2022–2023, around 57 percent of fatal road accidents in the district during 2022 and 2023 occurred in rural areas, with two-wheeler riders and pedestrians being the most affected. In 2023 alone, 983 deaths were recorded due to road accidents in the Pune Rural Police jurisdiction, marking a five percent increase compared to the previous year.
SP Gill stated that overspeeding remains one of the major causes of fatal accidents in rural areas. He emphasized that enhanced enforcement on major routes, along with awareness campaigns, will help reduce accidents, fatalities, and injuries.
The advanced TruCam II laser speed cameras can accurately measure vehicle speeds up to 320 km/h and are designed to operate both day and night. These devices can be used handheld, mounted on tripods, or installed in police vehicles, enabling officers to detect and record traffic violations effectively.
The cameras can also capture high-resolution photos and videos, providing clear evidence of violations. In addition to overspeeding, the technology can detect offences such as not wearing seat belts, riding without helmets, and using mobile phones while driving.
About 40 officers from the Pune Rural Police were trained in operating the laser speed cameras in May 2025 by Paul Simcox through a week-long program that covered technical operations, field deployment, and evidence management. Additional training sessions were later conducted for officers from Lonavala and Vadgaon Maval police stations in November 2025 and February 2026.
Officials said the pilot project will particularly focus on high-risk accident zones. Data collected during the pilot phase will help refine enforcement strategies and support wider implementation of road safety measures across the Pune Rural Police jurisdiction.
