Arıklı: Opposition to Traffic Cameras Encourages Reckless Drivers

Speaking on Kanal T’s Damla Dabis ile Yaz Sabahı programme, Arıklı explained that the cameras are not targeting law-abiding drivers but will identify violations such as exceeding speed limits, lacking valid road tax, insurance or inspection certificates. “If you drive at 150 km/h on a road with a 100 km/h limit, the cameras will catch you. They are for our safety. If you commit an offence, you will pay the penalty. Every year, we lose dozens of people to traffic accidents. We were criticised for a lack of enforcement — now enforcement is here, and people say the state is after their money. That’s not acceptable,” he said.

He listed speeding, alcohol, and careless driving as the main causes of fatal crashes, noting that older cameras had become obsolete and were being replaced with new devices obtained through grants. Almost every dangerous stretch of the country’s 1,600 km road network will be monitored, he said, adding that there is no other way to ensure compliance. Seatbelt use, speeding, and mobile phone use while driving will incur fines, while vehicle registration and insurance deficiencies will initially result in warnings.

Arıklı criticised those who shift blame to road conditions after accidents, saying, “If someone crashes with 150 milligrams of alcohol in their system, you can’t blame the road. When you blame the state after every crash, you’re telling reckless drivers to keep driving as they wish because the state is responsible.”

He also addressed criticism over unlit roads, noting that in most countries rural roads are not lit and only main junctions are illuminated. On driver training, he said regulations aligned with EU standards on driving schools, new chip-based licences, and tachographs have been stalled at the Council of Ministers for months.

Arıklı added that legislation for in-vehicle cameras is being prepared and penalties for causing death in traffic accidents have been increased to 14 years in prison, but he believes they should be tougher. He stressed that traffic safety must be treated as a state policy: “Lives lost on the road are our lives.”