New rules for self-driving cars introduced in Dubai

Dubai - The strategy will help cut transportation costs by 44 per cent.

Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued the Council's Resolution No. (3) of 2019 that regulates autonomous vehicle testing in Dubai. The new Resolution, the first such initiative in the region, is part of the first phase of a legislative framework being created to ensure the highest efficiency, reliability, and security of smart mobility.

The Resolution aims to ensure the highest level of safety for autonomous vehicles and achieve the objectives of Dubai's Autonomous Transportation Strategy. 

As per the Resolution, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is tasked with reviewing the technical aspects and standards related to the safety of autonomous vehicles that will be included in vehicle manuals. These should be compliant with RTA's autonomous vehicle testing requirements.

RTA is also tasked with specifying the safety requirements that should be satisfied in vehicle tests. It is also authorised to set all other conditions and requirements that should be met in the tests.

RTA will be responsible for providing licenses to operators and overseeing their compliance with RTA's regulations. RTA is also tasked with developing the infrastructure required to conduct such vehicle tests in coordination with concerned authorities in Dubai.

The Resolution is effective from the date of its publication in the official gazette. The Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy aims to transform 25 per cent of the total transportation in Dubai to autonomous mode by 2030.

The Strategy is expected to bring Dh22 billion in annual economic revenues in several sectors by reducing transportation costs, carbon emissions and accidents, and raising the productivity of individuals as well as saving hundreds of millions of hours wasted in conventional transportation.

The strategy will help cut transportation costs by 44 per cent, resulting in savings of up to Dh900 million a year. It will also help save Dh1.5 billion a year by reducing environmental pollution by 12 per cent, as well as generate Dh18 billion in annual economic returns by increasing the efficiency of the transportation sector in Dubai by 2030.