UAE uses AI to track driver behaviour and improve road safety
Drivers involved in both major and minor incidents are also tracked and enrolled
Abu Dhabi: Police authorities in the UAE are using artificial intelligence to analyse driver behaviour, as part of ongoing efforts to reduce road accidents despite the country’s high global ranking in road quality.
The Ministry of Interior said AI-powered monitoring systems are now in place to assess how drivers behave on the roads, alongside dedicated platforms that identify accident hotspots.
Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.
Drivers involved in both major and minor incidents are also tracked and enrolled in structured training programmes tailored to their behavioural profiles.
The was revealed by the Ministry of Interior during a Federal National Council (FNC) session, highlighting a key challenge facing the country’s transport sector: human behaviour. While the UAE ranks fifth globally for road quality, traffic-related injuries and fatalities remain a concern, with driver conduct identified as a leading cause.
Brigadier Dr Rashid Sultan Al Khudr, Director General of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, said police authorities across the UAE use AI-powered monitoring systems to analyse driver behaviour.
Al Khudr added that a dedicated platform tracks accident hotspots, while drivers involved in both major and minor incidents are monitored and enrolled in structured programmes tailored to their behavioural profiles.
He said the Ministry is also using AI tools to assess driver risk levels and is working to introduce targeted initiatives and standards to address reckless driving behaviour.
FNC members said improving road safety requires more than infrastructure, stressing the importance of early traffic education and broader societal engagement, from schools and families to media and digital platforms, to build a culture of responsible driving based on awareness, deterrence and continuous monitoring.
During the FNC session, member Moza Mohammed Al Shehhi said achieving national quality-of-life goals depends on addressing human behaviour on the roads. She called for greater integration of traffic psychology into policy, focusing on understanding the behavioural and psychological factors that influence drivers.
Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said the UAE designs its roads in line with international standards, taking into account different driving patterns, vehicle types and safety requirements. He added that the country has been among the early adopters of AI in transport, supported by legislation for autonomous vehicles and real-time monitoring of federal roads through advanced control rooms.
