The Transport Ministry will not back down from its plan to purchase and introduce body cameras for train drivers, Transport Minister Jozef Ráž (a Smer-SD nominee) confirmed on Tuesday during an informal discussion at the parliamentary committee for public administration and regional development, which was not quorate.
Ráž described the measure as a good one that the ministry stands behind. Train drivers reject body cameras, arguing that they will not prevent accidents.
The introduction of body cameras for drivers of state-owned passenger carrier ZSSK is expected to cost €420,000.
The head of the train drivers' petition committee Matej Motyčka said that their priority is safety, not marketing measures. "A camera addresses safety after an accident. It may show that a driver did something that they shouldn't have, but it won't reveal the real cause of the accident," he warned.
House committee vice-chair Igor Janckulik (KDH) described nearly half a million euros for body cameras as money unnecessarily spent. "First and foremost, we should improve the working conditions for train drivers. We've heard that in the summer months the temperatures in their cabs exceed 40 degrees Celsius," he stated.
In his view, dialogue needs to be set up and expanded, as train drivers have signed a petition. "I'm somewhat concerned about their next steps. They need to consult, but I'd welcome more discussion between the ministry, railways and train drivers," added Janckulik.
The Transport Minister claimed that all camera recordings would be used only in the event of an accident. "If a bank employee can work under camera surveillance for an entire shift because money is a protected public interest, are the lives of a thousand people on a train not a protected public interest?" he asked.
According to him, train drivers will have to accept cameras. If any changes are needed, the ministry is ready to propose them.
Ráž pointed out that the driver was at fault in both of last year's train collisions near Jablonov nad Turnou and Pezinok, in one case because the driver had been watching YouTube while driving. He also presented social media footage showing drivers recording videos while operating trains.
Source: TASR
