Dubai: Tailgaters are now in the crosshairs of new speed radars installed by Dubai Police. With over 50 new Al Burj radars already fitted on Dubai roads, police said that they plan to add 50 more in the next year.
The German-built radar uses laser technology to catch speed offenders. It is more accurate and precise than the microwaves and radio waves used by the older radars. “The Al Burj gets its name from its tower-like shape,” said Lt Col Hassan Nasser Abdul Razzak Al Razooqi, Director of the Technology Department at Traffic Police.
“It keeps track of offenders on both sides of the road and is capable of detecting various traffic offences, including failure to keep a safe distance from other cars.”
Besides catching tailgaters and speedsters, Al Burj will also ensure that heavy vehicles stay in designated lanes.
“Most roads in Dubai have a designated lane and time for heavy vehicles. The Al Burj will help us detect violators by scanning the height of the vehicles,” he added.
After taking a picture of the traffic offence, the Al Burj radar uses 3G technology to transmit the image to special servers immediately. An air-conditioning system is integrated into the tower radar to ensure harsh weather does not affect its operations.
The radar is capable of trapping speedsters as far as 70 metres away and pinpoints the offender from other vehicles. “On the older models, we had to train people to operate the radar to spot offenders,” he said.
“With the Al Burj we do not need anyone, the radar does everything for us.”
The device takes high-definition photos, so anyone driving without a seat belt or using a phone while driving can also be caught. However, Lt Col Al Razooqi said that there were no plans to impose fines on such offences caught by Al Burj yet.
There are already 51 Al Burj radars in operating in Dubai – 27 on highways, 14 on intersections and 10 mobile laser radars. In total there are about 550 radars in Dubai, he said.
