liiklusjärelevalve

liiklusjärelevalve is the Estonian term for traffic monitoring and surveillance, encompassing all activities aimed at observing, regulating, and managing road traffic to enhance safety, enforce laws, and improve traffic flow. It involves the use of physical and digital tools such as traffic cameras, radar speed detectors, road surface sensors, and automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems.

The concept dates back to the early 20th century, when police forces began using fixed cameras to catch speeding drivers. Estonia adopted traffic surveillance systems in the 1990s, initially for severe accident prevention. Since 2000, the deployment of advanced traffic cameras and ALPR has expanded to monitor traffic density, identify infractions, and support urban planning.

Key objectives of liiklusjärelevalve include reducing traffic accidents, enforcing speed limits and parking regulations, gathering data for traffic engineering studies, and tackling illegal activities such as traffic corruption. Sensors embedded in roadways measure vehicle speeds, lengths, and travel times, feeding data into real‑time traffic control centers.

Legal and privacy considerations are governed by Estonian legislation and GDPR, requiring that surveillance data be stored only for necessary periods and that all monitoring is covered by public notice. The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, in cooperation with municipal authorities, operates most traffic surveillance infrastructure, while private companies may provide supplementary services under contract.

Examples of active liiklusjärelevalve installations can be found on major highways and in city centers such as Tallinn, Tartu, and Narva, where traffic cameras are regularly used to scan for speeding, red‑light violations, and illegally parked vehicles.