Abu Dhabi: Tailgating accidents down by 54% thanks to smart radars

The new smart radars introduced on Abu Dhabi roads and highways to catch tailgaters have helped reduce major accidents and deaths, according to the authorities.

The Abu Dhabi Police said their data showed that major accidents due to tailgating have reduced by 54 per cent, while severe injuries and fatalities declined by 86 and 75 percent, respectively, after smart radars were activated last year.

The police have reported that 19,327 motorists were fined for tailgating between January 1 and June 30.

Captain Engineer Mohammed Al Esai, the Director of the Traffic Studies and Research of the Abu Dhabi Police, said the smart control system was activated in all radars on highways and other roads across the country’s largest emirate to catch tailgaters and many motorists have received warning messages for violations.

“The smart system, which automatically controls motorists who fail to leave sufficient distance between vehicles, was aimed to further improve road safety and reduce accidents,” said Al Esai.

“The driver's failure to leave a safe distance behind vehicles increases the risk of rear-end collisions, as motorists may not be able to adequately control their vehicles in time if the driver ahead of them suddenly or unexpectedly stops,” he added.

In January 2020, the police rolled out the new smart system that uses radars to catch tailgaters and both front and rear vehicles were fined because of the tailgating offence.

The smart radars detect the tailgaters for not leaving enough space between vehicles, and also the front vehicle for not giving way to the speeding car on the first left lane, if driving is too slow.

Both vehicles are fined Dh400 each. Besides, each of the motorist’s driving licence is docked with four black points.

Tailgating can also lead to a vehicle to be impounded and an imposition of an additional fine of Dh5,000.

A text message is sent out to tailgaters, warning them that they had been caught committing the dangerous traffic violation.

Last year, the force carried out awareness and traffic control campaigns, which included sending messages to a large segment of drivers in five languages, through mainstream media and the police’s social media platforms and to inform them about the new smart system that can catch violators with alacrity.

These campaigns are aimed to make motorists further aware about the dire consequences of failure to comply with traffic laws and regulations, especially the fallout of not leaving sufficient safety distance between two vehicles.