Digital number plates that let cops track your location and fine you for speeding and parking to be launched in Dubai
Metal registration plates are set to be axed in Dubai and replaced by a digital screen. It'll flash if the car is stolen and you'll be able to change the plate via an app
DIGITAL number plates that allow cops to track your location and automatically issue fines are to be launched in Dubai.
The UAE city said it is considering axing metal number plates and replacing them with a "smart" registration.
The hi-tech plates would tell emergency services if you crash plus take payment for parking fees, speeding fines and renewing licences direct from drivers' accounts.
The "Tag to Connect" system would also make cars flash if it's been stolen and you'll even be able to change your registration on an app.
Anyone fitted with a smart plate would be hooked up to a central system so cars could communicate with each other about traffic or accidents ahead.
The project, revealed by the Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) at the Future Cities Show in Dubai, will be trialled this year.
Sultan Abdullah Al Marzouqi, the RTA's director of vehicle licensing, said the system will make life easier for drivers despite privacy and data security concerns.
Sultan Abdullah told the : "The digital plate, called Tag to Connect, is a smart screen that will replace the current metal plate.
"With the digital plate installed in your car, you need not come to any RTA service centre every year in order to renew your vehicle plate - your car registration will be automatically renewed after passing the vehicle test.
"The digital plate will also allow vehicles to connect with each other - that's why it's Tag to Connect - meaning, motorists can exchange information on traffic conditions or if there is an accident on the road. All this information will be connected to the central command system of the RTA.
all you need to know about number plates
"We want to know how the smart plates can survive in the UAE weather, how humidity and dust can affect the transfer of data and to determine its life cycle and other technological requirements."
The test will run from next month until November when a decision will be made on whether it's cost effective and if screens can deal with the desert climate.
If the trial proves successful the smart number plates could be rolled out as early as next year.