Smart licence plates to prevent car thefts
dubai — Soon, say goodbye to metal vehicle number plate and instal a digital plate in your car.
“The digital plate, called Tag2Connect, is a smart screen that will replace the current metal plate,” Sultan Abdullah Almarzouqi, Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) director of Vehicle Licensing Department, told Khaleej
Times at the Future Cities Show in Dubai on Monday.
“With the digital plate installed in your car, you don’t need to come every year to any RTA service centre to renew your vehicle plate — your car registration will be automatically renewed after passing vehicle testing,” Almarzouqi said.
“Moreover, since it’s a digital plate, you can change your number plate or get a new one anytime through the RTA app or by ordering from the RTA website,” he added.
Another striking feature of the digital plate is that it will flash ‘stolen’ if someone will try to carjack the vehicle or steal the digital plate. “With smart plates, we can have zero carjacking incidence because if someone will steal your car, a message will be sent to the owner and the police and the word ‘stolen’ will appear in the smart plate,” Almarzouqi said.
Simply put, it’s all about connectivity with the smart plates. “The digital plate will also allow vehicles to connect with each other — that’s why it’s called Tag2Connect — meaning, motorists can exchange information on traffic condition or if there is an accident on the road. All these information will be connected to central command system of the RTA,” Almarzouqi underlined.
“We are also dealing with big data. With smart plates, motorists will be informed which roads to avoid and they can also monitor their car mileage or how far they have travelled,” he added.
Paying for parking will also be a breeze as parked vehicles will be charged through the e-wallet connected with the smart plates.
Those who own special vehicle plates can also migrate to smart plates and still retain the identity of their fancy plates, according to Almarzouqi. The RTA will start testing the smart plates next month until November this year.
“We want to know how the smart plates can survive in the UAE weather, how humidity and dust can affect the transfer of data and to determine its life cycle and know the other technological requirements,” Almarzouqi explained.
“Then, after thorough evaluation, we will roll out the smart plates to the public and announce how much it will cost. Other applications will also be added to smart plate, including, possibly the integration of Salik tag,” Almarzouqi concluded.
since it’s a digital plate, you can change your number plate or get a new one anytime through the rTA app or by ordering from the rTA website.” sultan abdullah almarzouqi, roads and Transport Authority’s (rTA) director of vehicle Licensing department