Dubai’s new system to reduce heavy vehicle accidents

The Roads Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai, in cooperation with the Dubai Police, has launched a Heavy Vehicles Defects Clearing System (VDCS) to try to reduce heavy vehicle accidents and improve safety. VDVCS, which includes surveillance systems and smart technologies, will curb technical defects experienced by heavy vehicles. It will classify the safety risks of vehicles and operators using a mechanism for calculating the probability of a vehicle’s failure to comply with the standards set by the RTA. It has developed a vehicles’ safety database, risk assessment system for vehicles and drivers, and conducted a random testing of equipment and remote tracking systems for various models, brands, ages and makes of heavy vehicles. The agency carried out a comprehensive study in coordination with a specialist consultancy firm on the traffic safety of heavy vehicles using the ‘Maturity Model’ of heavy vehicle safety and benchmarked it against the practices in advanced countries.

If a vehicle is inspected an found to have no faults, it will be given a rating of zero, which means it is fully compliant with the safety and other standards. For each fault or offence points would be given, based on the gravity of the fault or offence. A final rating, out of possible maximum of ten is assigned after adding up all the points, along with a colour-coded classification. Once the system is fully implemented, RTA will switch from manual control and inspection of heavy vehicles to smart monitoring using data storage and analysis system and automation of inspection process by using sophisticated tablets.