Artificial intelligence is to be used by Dubai Police to test the driving ability of applicants, according to an official on Sunday.
The licensing department of Dubai Police will begin to make use of the Smart Driving Test cars in December.
The vehicles will register the mistakes that are made by drivers while they are on test drives in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The smart car was shown off on Sunday at Adnec’s World Road Congress.
The car comes with nine cameras – three are inside the vehicle and six are fitted to the exterior.
The new system is to be fitted in all of the current driver test vehicles.
Abu Dhabi Police drivers’ licensing department drivers’ inspector Hamad Al Hammadi says that one camera is focused on the face of the driver.
This is in order to determine whether they check the side mirrors before changing road lanes.
If they fail to do so, this will be recorded by the system as an error.
There is currently a total of 18 driver’s testing cars operated by Abu Dhabi Police.
Al Hammadi says that the purpose of the car is to cut down on human intervention while the driving test is underway.
The system will flag mistakes that the applicants commit and direct them to drive on certain roads.
The car will also inform drivers of their mistakes and where in the test they were committed.
Examining police officers will continue to sit next to the driver during the test, as is currently the case with regular testing cars.
Police officers are always present in person in order to control the vehicle and instruct drivers in the event of emergencies, Al Hammadi points out.
Emirates ID readers are also installed in the vehicle and connected to traffic police.
The reader is informed about the driving test dates and other details when the examinee inserts their card.
The cards are only used in tests after the applicant has completed driving lessons and attend their final driving licence test.
Once the test has been completed, the driver will receive a text message informing them of the result.
If a driver fails the test, the reasons for the failure will be explained and a video of the mistakes made recorded by the cameras on board the vehicle will also be shown.
Anyone who wants to drive a motor vehicle in the UAE is under a legal obligation to take out car insurance before they will be legally allowed to do so.
Car insurance is obligatory for all drivers in the UAE and offers financial protection against some of the adverse consequences that can arise from a number of unfortunate circumstances sometimes associated with driving and motor vehicle ownership.
These circumstances can include the theft of a vehicle or accidents that damage the vehicle of the owner or vehicles owned by other road users.
In some cases, car insurance policies may also cover medical bills.