RTA to try smart number plates soon
TRIAL PHASE OF SMART PLATES TO BEGIN NEXT MONTH, SAYS RTA
Vehicles equipped with such plates will send out alerts to police and ambulance centres in case of accidents or any other emergencies |
Vehicles equipped with smart number plates will automatically send out alerts to police and ambulance centres in case of accidents or any other emergencies, officials said yesterday.
Dubai will be the first city in the world to run a pilot of smart plates next month, testing the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Tag2Connect (T2C) platform. The system, which was on display at the Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibtion (DIGAE), will see vehicles installed with smart plates (digital screens) equipped with GPS, transmitters and a microprocessor chip, replacing the existing metal plates.
Based on Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies, the T2C platform will enable direct continuous real time communication between vehicles as well as providing long range communications with the Traffic Monitoring Centre.
Tracking road behaviour
“This feature will help us study road behaviour of a driver, track the vehicle’s movement as well as help the driver conduct seamless transactions. Also among the benefits is that the system will send out automatic alerts to authorities concerned in case of an emergency,” said Sultan Al Marzouqi, Director of Licensing, RTA.
He added that the trial will be conducted until the end of this year. “During the trial, we will work out the modalities of the system, cost of the plates, and what it will require to have the system in place,” he said.
Al Marzouqi explained that the smart plate will be linked to a driver’s traffic file and e-purse allowing motorists to carry out vehicle registration, testing and pay fines or fees on the go.
Another first in the world, and a related initiative is the Vehicle Chain project that will help RTA track the history of a vehicle from birth to scrap.
“The Vehicle Chain project will bring all the stakeholders such as manufacturers, dealers, workshops, insurers, licensing authorities, police and vehicle owners on a single platform. This will bring in the much needed transparency,” Abdullah Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency, said.