Dubai: CCTV cameras installed on buildings, traffic lights and on public transport are not enough to keep errant motorists at bay.
Authorities in the emirates have taken the level of security one step further by installing CCTV cameras on school buses, to ensure that motorists come to a halt when school bus drivers pull out the stop sign.
A photo recently circulated on social networking sites in the UAE shows a camera installed on the side of a school bus, which can capture drivers that fail to stop at least five metres behind the school bus when the signal is open.
Brig Ahmad Al Shehhi, deputy director of Traffic and Patrols Department of the Central Operations Section at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “Motorists should bring their vehicles to a complete halt when they see a school bus stop sign within a distance of not less than five metres, in order to ensure the safety of students.”
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Failure to stop will incur a fine of Dh1,000 and 10 black points.
In December 2017, the Ministry of Education and Emirates Transport announced the installation of a smart system in all school buses across Dubai and the northern emirates.
The smart system will include 2,370 buses that caters to 110,000 students, and involves the installation of three smart devices in each bus, seven internal and external surveillance cameras, in addition to digital recorders that are linked to a central control system.
Eng. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Hammadi, undersecretary at the ministry for supervision and support services, said: “The ministry pays great attention to ensuring the safety of students, both psychologically and physically as a national priority, especially in the context of the large number of students who use school buses in Dubai and the northern emirates.”
The smart system aims to eliminate traffic accidents and to prevent cases of students forgotten in school buses.
Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarmin, director general of Emirates Transport, added that the project was implemented in November 2017.
