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Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed that the second phase of the trial operation of self-driving vehicles will begin before the end of this year, with the number of vehicles increasing from 5 to 10 and the areas of operation expanding to increase the maturity of systems and technologies, collect the largest amount of data, and understand the behavior of drivers and passengers in these areas.
Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of Transportation Systems at RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said that five first-generation cruise vehicles were operated in Jumeirah 1 last year, specifically in the area extending between the Union Museum and the Dubai Water Canal. He pointed out that the number of vehicles will be doubled and the trial operation area will be expanded to include the largest part of Jumeirah 1 before the end of this year.
He explained that the RTA, through the trial operation of autonomous vehicles, is scanning roads, drawing maps, identifying the behaviour of drivers and pedestrians, collecting data, and testing technologies on traffic signs and signals. He pointed out that autonomous vehicles are largely based on artificial intelligence technology, which is witnessing rapid development. When the time comes for their official operation on Dubai roads, we expect further improvements in safety aspects. Moreover, we confirm that we will not operate these vehicles on Dubai roads unless we are 100% confident that they will be completely safe, which is a fundamental element for us.
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