3D Laser Scanners On Our Motorways

29 December 2011, 11:49 | Updated: 29 December 2011, 12:31

Police in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire will soon use 3D laser scanning technology. The scanners will be used on motorways and busy roads to capture 3D images of accident scenes.

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire police were amongst 27 county police forces that won their bid for the scanners.

The Department for Transport has now awarded them £158,270 for two of them, this will be match funded by the police.

The whole project is costing the Department £2.7 million. 

Mike Penning, the roads minister told Heart:

"I think everybody's going to benefit the police are certainly going to have the most advanced technology and as a motorist myself the roads will be open, we've all sat in traffic jams saying 'why is this road closed?' very often the police are doing their investigation what i want is to speed up that investigation and this technology will do that"

It is thought the scanners will reduce the time it takes police to clear up a motorway accident by 39 minutes.

The scanners have been tried and tested by police and some of the 3D footage has already been used as evidence in court.

Mike Penning says the money has already been handed out and the police forces will start using the scanners very soon.