The AI-powered traffic camera system is expected to help raise rules compliance. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội's newly launched intelligent traffic control centre has detected nearly 400 traffic violations in its first three days of operation, with running red lights accounting for the vast majority, city police said.

From December 13 to December 16, the artificial intelligence camera system identified 393 breaches of traffic safety rules, including 125 involving cars and 268 involving motorcycles, according to the Hà Nội Traffic Police Department.

Red-light violations dominated the tally, with 352 cases recorded, comprising 87 cars and 265 motorcycles. Other offences included five cases of cars failing to comply with road markings, one case of driving against the flow on a one-way street, three cases of motorcycles carrying more passengers than permitted, 21 cases of cars stopping where stopping is prohibited, and 11 cases of picking up or dropping off passengers in no-stopping or no-parking zones.

The violations were detected through an AI-powered camera network operated centrally at the city’s intelligent traffic control centre. The system allows traffic police to monitor traffic in real time, identify violations, detect congestion, and respond to accidents and other incidents to support traffic management and diversion.

Initial statistics show the number of violations recorded during this period was higher than under traditional on-the-ground patrols and compared with the period before the system was officially put into operation. Images extracted from the cameras clearly show licence plates, timestamps and specific violations, providing the legal basis for issuing penalties under Việt Nam's so-called “cold fines” mechanism, in which fines are imposed after the offence is recorded.

Hà Nội police formally launched the system on December 13, deploying more than 1,830 AI-enabled cameras at 195 major intersections across the capital.

According to the police, the cameras can record 360-degree footage, identify vehicles and licence plates from distances of 500 to 700 metres, and operate continuously day and night in various weather conditions. The system is capable of detecting and recording more than 23 categories of administrative traffic violations.

Data collected by the AI cameras are stored across multiple servers for up to 75 days, authorities said. — VNS