Students develop radar to detect tailgating
ABU DHABI — Five bright students from Khalifa University have developed what could be the next big thing in road safety, ‘Green Light’ tailgating system.
The students, all aged between 20 and 22, will be heading to Huawei headquarters in China next week to showcase their invention to some of the world’s biggest investors at a technology exhibition.
Mohamed Al Yousef, mechanical engineering student and co-founder of ‘Green Light,’ told Khaleej Times that the invention could help save dozens of lives lost on UAE’s roads.
“Tailgating is the second cause of road accidents, after sudden swerving. Almost nine per cent of the UAE’s road accidents in 2015 were because motorists did not maintain a safe distance between vehicles.
“Many drivers in the UAE flash each other to get out of the way, so
We just want people to drive safely, so hopefully, our device can help save many lives in the future.” Adam Al Suwaidi, student and inventor
we thought of creating a device that can help stop this dangerous habit,” added the 20-year-old.
He explained how the invention can be effective on UAE roads. “If the distance between the two vehicles is less than the safety distance, a flash will appear and a picture of the licence-plate will be taken, which will be then sent to the police.”
He noted that 70 people died on UAE roads last year due to tailgating — including people he knew — which motivated him to work hard on the project.
Al Yousef, along with his team, Hareb Al Ali, Abdullah Al Jaberi, Adam Al Suwaidi and Nada El Sokkary, won the ‘Seeds for the Future’ completion, where 150 teams competed. He said they are looking forward to taking their innovation to China, pitching their product to investors and representing the UAE.
“We just want people to drive safely, so hopefully, our device can help save many lives in the future,” said Al Jaberi.
“This innovation will change people’s attitudes towards tailgating over time,” noted Al Suwaidi.
“Someone’s life is not worth a few metres’ distance,” added Nada El Sokkary.
Where will the future take these talented students? “For now, we are focusing on the tailgating system, but our aim is to develop an entire business, with a range of safety systems, for vehicles, roads and buildings. We want to be inline with the UAE vision and want zero fatalities by 2030.”
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com