Dubai: Motorists who ignore the stop sign of school buses will be caught with a new ‘Bat’ radar, an official said on Tuesday.
The Bat radar is the latest innovation by Dubai Police and will be fixed on the stop sign on school buses in a step to crack down on motorists who ignore the signal when the bus drivers pick up and drop students.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the Traffic Department, said the radar will issue an immediate fine to drivers who ignore the stop sign on school buses. The police will coordinate with Emirates Transport to place the radar on school buses in the UAE.
“It is the smallest radar in the world and will be on school buses’ stop sign to catch any driver who doesn’t stop. It is to ensure the safety of students,” Brigadier Al Mazroui said.
The radar has a power bank and works on solar power, has two cameras and can be easily placed on the stop sign.
“Motorists should leave a distance of five metres behind the bus whenever they see the stop sign. Otherwise, they will be fined,” he added.
He said many bus drivers complain about motorists ignoring the stop signal and Emirates Transport had a meeting with Dubai Police recently asking for a solution to the problem.
“We promised to surprise them with a solution and the Bat radar is the solution. If schools want to use the radar can approach the Traffic Department to install the device on their buses,” he said.
The radar works on 3G technology to send data and pictures to the Traffic Department and can be controlled with a smartphone.
“This radar will tackle the problem as it will force drivers to stop when they see the sign,” Brigadier Al Mazroui said.
The radar has another option of a screen for the bus driver to see who is behind him.
The fine for a driver who ignores the stop sign on school buses is Dh1,000 and ten traffic points.
The fine for the bus driver who stops the bus and not using the stop sign is Dh500 and six traffic points.
However, Brigadier Al Mazroui said the radar can also be used to monitor special needs parking lots and can be placed in houses to notify the landlord about any strange vehicles parked in front.
