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Dubai drivers under scanner

The onus is now on the person behind the wheel to act responsibly and drive safe

In an attempt to do away with accidents and marshal traffic as per law, Dubai Police have installed 2,000 new road cameras across the emirate. They will work in conjunction with speed radars, and are primarily focused to monitor drivers' behaviour. The tall slender terminator-lookalike cameras installed by the RTA are capable of long range tracking up to 200 metres. The salient features are a 36 mega-pixel high-resolution camera to capture images of the vehicle and the driver, number plate recognition, multipurpose tracking, real-time data transmission and video recording. They will help in detecting hard shoulder violations, tailgating, using phone while driving, and jumping signals and taking illegal turns. Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Director of Dubai Police Traffic Department, says it is part of "We are all police" initiative, aimed at discouraging traffic violations.
The onus is now on the person behind the wheel to act responsibly and drive safe. There is no point in endangering lives by pressing down the accelerator and ending up as a sorry figure. The concept of slapping stringent fines is to ensure that they act as a deterrent and speedsters are reprimanded. Dubai is in the league of London and New York where cars are in majority, and this warrants institutionalised checking of errant drivers. This is where the cameras play the role of spectators and honest-recorders on the part of traffic authorities. If you are not texting while driving, maintaining safe distance and following speed limits, then you have nothing to worry. All those who throw caution to the wind and disregard traffic laws are now under the scanner of the lens.