Fines of up to Dhs50,000 will be issued for offences…

Self-driving cars are soon to be a reality in the city, with autonomous vehicles set to be on Dubai roads by the end of 2023. Ahead of this H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued new laws to govern the use of self-driving cars throughout the city. The law specifies how licenses can be obtained, how routes are decided, speed limits are determined and much more.

Violators can face fines between Dhs500 to Dhs50,000 for offences.

According to the law, the city’s Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA) will oversee the acquisition of licenses, which will all be issued in Dubai. Only after a vehicle has passed the RTA’s technical test, which includes its technological ability to read road signs, can the license be issued. Only with RTA approval can operators transfer vehicle ownership, and operators must take responsibility for covering the costs of all damages in the event of an accident.

Those who breach the provisions of the law can be fined between Dhs500 and Dhs20,000. These fines can be doubled if the breach occurs twice in the same year, with a maximum fine of Dhs50,000.

The RTA will develop plans and policies to improve the operation of self-driving cars throughout the city, as well as ensuring safety through programming and establishing technical, operational, and safety benchmarks. The RTA will also set out which areas, roads and routes self-driving cars operate on, as well as their speed limits. RTA will also build the infrastructure for self-driving cars and implement traffic solutions to ensure road safety and avoid traffic disruptions.

When can we expect the first driverless cars on the road?

self driving cars dubai laws

Earlier this month the RTA announced that ten self-driving taxis will be available for public use in Jumeirah by the end of 2023. Their fares will be comparable with limo taxis, which are often around 30 per cent higher than normal taxis. These state-of-the-art taxis will be able to accommodate three passengers in the back, with no passengers in the front.

It’s all part of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to convert 25 per cent of transportation trips in Dubai to driverless trips by 2030. The launch is in keeping with Dubai’s future plans and in line with the city’s autonomous driving strategy.

An agreement was signed with Cruise Company – an American-owned business, to provide the vehicles. It makes Dubai the first city outside of the United States of America where Cruise commercially operates these vehicles.

We can’t wait to see these driverless cars in action…

Images: RTA