Royal Oman Police develops AI-driven traffic safety strategy
Brig Ali bin Salim al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at ROP, said smart traffic monitoring systems were launched recently and a study is underway of the experiences of other countries in the field of autonomous vehicles to develop a future regulatory framework that suits the Omani environment. 'We are analysing the risks associated with new technologies, such as the safety of autonomous vehicles and legal responsibilities in case of accidents,' he said.
Traffic signals are being upgraded to work with Intelligent Transport Systems, while automated monitoring is being enhanced with advanced cameras installed on main roads.
ROP works closely with the National Road Safety Committee to develop strategies and guidelines aimed at reducing traffic accidents. Recommendations include development of a national strategy to reduce traffic accidents, nationwide awareness campaigns, school traffic safety courses, and greater involvement of civil society and the private sector. 'Our aim is to enhance traffic culture across all segments of society,' Brig Falahi said.
Despite a decline in accidents in recent years, challenges remain. Population growth, the rising number of vehicles and a lack of public transport continue to strain the road network, he added. 'Poor driving habits such as speeding, mobile phone use, unsafe lane change and failure to keep safe distance are key contributors to accidents.' Inadequate vehicle maintenance, he said, also causes breakdowns that can lead to collisions.
Brig Falahi informed that traffic safety institutes in governorates provide specialised training for different categories of drivers, including taxi drivers and heavy vehicle operators, besides rehabilitation programmes for traffic offenders. Trainers receive updates in cooperation with specialised agencies. Brig Ali bin Salim al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at ROP
School bus drivers are trained under a preventive driving programme run jointly with Ministry of Education, with performance monitored to ensure compliance. 'This has led to improved driver performance and fewer violations,' Brig Falahi informed.
ROP has also introduced school-based initiatives such as the 'Road Friends' programme, launched in the 2022/2023 academic year and now expanded to 33 schools. The programme aims to produce a generation aware of road safety rules, with students passing knowledge to peers and families.
Digital educational content on traffic safety is being designed for early childhood and primary school students. Awareness campaigns run throughout the year, including khareef in Dhofar, targeting both residents and visitors.
Brig Falahi said the decrease in accidents in recent years is due to better driver awareness, improved infrastructure and continuous public education. 'Traffic safety is a shared responsibility that requires the commitment of individuals, society, and institutions to reduce accidents and protect lives and property.'
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ROP boosts traffic safety with training and AI monitoring
MUSCAT: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) continues its efforts to protect lives and provide a safe traffic environment thus contributing to the national development process. These efforts have resulted in a significant decline in the number of road accidents in recent years. Brigadier Eng Ali bin Sulayem al Falahi, Director-General of Traffic at ROP, said that traffic safety institutes train school bus drivers as part of the preventive driving programme, in coordination with the Ministry of Education. The results of this programme are reviewed by monitoring the drivers' performance in transporting students resulting in a reduced number of traffic violations. The traffic safety institutes in the governorates offer specialised training programmes most importantly the preventive driving training curriculum, the vehicle driving instructor training curriculum, the examiner training curriculum, the taxi driver training curriculum, the heavy vehicle driver training curriculum, the rehabilitation curriculum for traffic violations and accidents, the first aid curriculum and the traffic signals and road signs curriculum, the official said. ROP boosts traffic safety with training and AI monitoring Regarding new technological developments, such as self-driving cars and their impact on traffic safety, Al Falahi noted that the ROP has recently launched smart violation monitoring systems and is working on future projects that include artificial intelligence traffic monitoring, paving the way for dealing with smart vehicles by monitoring global developments and assessing risks. ROP is keeping a close eye on the latest technologies related to smart and autonomous vehicles and studying the experiences of other countries to develop a future regulatory framework that suits the Omani environment. It is analysing the risks associated with new technologies to ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles and upon whom legal responsibility falls in the event of an accident, he said. He pointed out that the ROP is working to improve the smart safety infrastructure by updating traffic signals to be compatible with the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) as well as improving automated monitoring systems for violations using advanced technologies and installing smart surveillance cameras on main roads. Al Falahi praised the ongoing cooperation between the ROP and the Ministry of Education, which aims to spread traffic awareness and instil a traffic culture among school students. ROP boosts traffic safety with training and AI monitoring The first initiative began by applying an experimental programme 'Road Friends' (VIA) in the 2022-2023 academic year. Following the success of this initiative, the team expanded the programme to include 33 schools across the Sultanate of Oman's governorates. The programme is expected to bring a generation well-aware of traffic rules and safety norms. He explained that the most important causes behind the decrease in road accidents are the increased commitment and awareness of motorists and road users, the efforts undertaken by the Directorate-General of Traffic to raise the level of traffic safety and continuously raise awareness among all society segments. Commenting on the most prominent future challenges, Brigadier Eng Ali bin Sulayem al Falahi, stated that the increasing number of vehicles is one of the most significant challenges, along with population growth and urban expansion. These factors put pressure on existing road networks and infrastructure thereby increasing risk of an uptick in road accidents. He said that risky traffic behaviours include mobile phone use, speeding, failure to use signals when changing lanes, failure to maintain a safe distance, incorrect overtaking and failure to adhere to pedestrian crossings, all of which contribute to traffic accidents. He explained that the lack of regular vehicle maintenance leads to sudden breakdowns that may cause traffic accidents or contribute to the occurrence of other traffic accidents. — ONA
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Royal Oman Police develops AI-driven traffic safety strategy
Muscat – Royal Oman Police (ROP) is introducing new technology, including artificial intelligence- based monitoring, to improve road safety as the number of vehicles and urban expansion place growing pressure on the country's road network. Brig Ali bin Salim al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at ROP, said smart traffic monitoring systems were launched recently and a study is underway of the experiences of other countries in the field of autonomous vehicles to develop a future regulatory framework that suits the Omani environment. 'We are analysing the risks associated with new technologies, such as the safety of autonomous vehicles and legal responsibilities in case of accidents,' he said. Traffic signals are being upgraded to work with Intelligent Transport Systems, while automated monitoring is being enhanced with advanced cameras installed on main roads. ROP works closely with the National Road Safety Committee to develop strategies and guidelines aimed at reducing traffic accidents. Recommendations include development of a national strategy to reduce traffic accidents, nationwide awareness campaigns, school traffic safety courses, and greater involvement of civil society and the private sector. 'Our aim is to enhance traffic culture across all segments of society,' Brig Falahi said. Despite a decline in accidents in recent years, challenges remain. Population growth, the rising number of vehicles and a lack of public transport continue to strain the road network, he added. 'Poor driving habits such as speeding, mobile phone use, unsafe lane change and failure to keep safe distance are key contributors to accidents.' Inadequate vehicle maintenance, he said, also causes breakdowns that can lead to collisions. Brig Falahi informed that traffic safety institutes in governorates provide specialised training for different categories of drivers, including taxi drivers and heavy vehicle operators, besides rehabilitation programmes for traffic offenders. Trainers receive updates in cooperation with specialised agencies. Brig Ali bin Salim al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at ROP School bus drivers are trained under a preventive driving programme run jointly with Ministry of Education, with performance monitored to ensure compliance. 'This has led to improved driver performance and fewer violations,' Brig Falahi informed. ROP has also introduced school-based initiatives such as the 'Road Friends' programme, launched in the 2022/2023 academic year and now expanded to 33 schools. The programme aims to produce a generation aware of road safety rules, with students passing knowledge to peers and families. Digital educational content on traffic safety is being designed for early childhood and primary school students. Awareness campaigns run throughout the year, including khareef in Dhofar, targeting both residents and visitors. Brig Falahi said the decrease in accidents in recent years is due to better driver awareness, improved infrastructure and continuous public education. 'Traffic safety is a shared responsibility that requires the commitment of individuals, society, and institutions to reduce accidents and protect lives and property.'
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Integrated efforts needed to reduce accidents: ROP
Muscat - Traffic safety is a critical issue that impacts the lives of all members of society, especially with the increasing number of vehicles and the expansion of the road network in the Sultanate of Oman, which requires intensifying and combining official and societal efforts to instill a culture of compliance with traffic regulations. The Royal Oman Police said it continues to protect lives and provide a safe traffic environment, contributing to the national development process. The results of this effort are evident in the decline in traffic accident rates in recent years. Brigadier Engineer Ali bin Salim Al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at the Royal Oman Police, said that traffic safety institutes in the Sultanate's governorates play a pivotal role in promoting traffic culture among drivers and applicants for driving licenses. Traffic Safety Institutes He said the traffic safety institutes' commitment to ensuring the quality of training, based on well-thought-out plans to develop human resources and provide ongoing training for traffic safety institute trainers, in cooperation with specialized agencies, to equip them with modern training methods to cover all aspects of traffic and evaluate the training process. Traffic safety institutes train school bus drivers as part of a preventive driving program in coordination with the Ministry of Education. The results of this program are reviewed by monitoring the drivers' performance in transporting students, which has resulted in improved driver performance and a reduction in their rate of traffic violations. He stated that traffic safety institutes in the governorates offer specialized training programs, the most important of which are the defensive driving training curriculum, the vehicle driving instructor training curriculum, the examiner training curriculum, the taxi driver training curriculum, the heavy vehicle driver training curriculum, the rehabilitation curriculum for traffic violations and accidents perpetrators, in addition to the first aid curriculum, and the traffic signals and road signs curriculum. Technology advancement Regarding new technological developments, such as self-driving cars, and their impact on traffic safety, the Royal Oman Police stated that it recently launched smart traffic monitoring systems and is working on future projects that include artificial intelligence-based traffic monitoring. This paves the way for dealing with smart vehicles by monitoring global developments and assessing risks. ROP is working to monitor the latest technologies in the field of smart and autonomous vehicles, and is studying the experiences of other countries to develop a future regulatory framework that suits the Omani environment. The risks associated with new technologies are being analyzed, such as the safety of autonomous vehicles and who bears legal responsibility in the event of any type of accident. Traffic signals ROP is working to improve the smart safety infrastructure by updating traffic signals to be compatible with Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), improving automated traffic monitoring systems using advanced technologies, and installing smart surveillance cameras on main roads. National Road Safety Committee Regarding the role of the National Road Safety Committee, Brigadier Engineer Ali bin Salim Al Falahi, Director General of Traffic at the Royal Oman Police, explained that the committee is working to create strategies and outline guidelines for traffic safety and implement them on the ground in cooperation with relevant government institutions. Among its most prominent recommendations are the development of a national strategy to reduce traffic accidents and the development of plans for media coverage to spread awareness and enhance traffic culture among various segments of society. He added that the recommendations include involving civil society members and organizations, as well as government and private entities, in traffic awareness efforts, including traffic safety courses in schools in the Sultanate of Oman, highlighting the role of traffic safety institutes in spreading traffic awareness among road users, identifying areas where accidents recur, and developing appropriate solutions. The Brigadier emphasized the importance of including traffic safety courses in school curricula, given their direct impact on reducing traffic accidents and fostering a culture of adherence to traffic rules and etiquette from an early age. This is an absolute necessity for protecting lives and property. He pointed out that studies indicate that early awareness among students can reduce accidents resulting from ignorance of traffic rules and help instill positive behaviors among school and university students. He praised the existing cooperation between the Royal Oman Police and the Ministry of Education, which aims to spread traffic awareness and instill traffic culture among school students. The first initiative began with the implementation of the "Road Friends" (VIA) pilot program in the 2022/2023 academic year. Following the success achieved by this initiative, the team was keen to expand the scope of the program to include 33 schools in various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. The program will conclude its success by the end of 2024, producing an educated generation aware of traffic rules, to benefit their peers in schools, their families, and the surrounding areas. He said that the Royal Oman Police is currently working, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, to design and produce specialized digital content on traffic safety, targeting early childhood education and the first cycle in schools, and instilling many concepts and behaviors related to traffic safety. Dhofar He pointed out that the General Traffic Department, in cooperation with relevant authorities, implements several awareness campaigns throughout the year targeting various segments of society. The most prominent of these is the Dhofar Autumn Exhibition, which targets annual autumn visitors and educates drivers, whether on their way to Dhofar Governorate or residing there. He explained that the most important reasons for the decrease in traffic accidents are the commitment and awareness of road users and drivers, the provision of safe roads for vehicles, and the efforts of the General Traffic Department to raise the level of traffic safety and continuous awareness among all segments of society. Regarding the most prominent challenges hindering the continued decline in traffic accidents in the future, the Brigadier Engineer, Director General of Traffic, said that the increasing number of vehicles is one of the most significant challenges facing the city, along with population growth and urban expansion. This places an increasing burden on existing road networks and infrastructure, increasing the likelihood of traffic accidents. Reliance on Public vehicles He noted that challenges also include a lack of public transportation and heavy reliance on private vehicles, which leads to severe road congestion and an increased risk of traffic accidents, especially during rush hour. Bad behaviour He noted that improper traffic behaviors include using a mobile phone, speeding, not using a turn signal when changing lanes, not leaving a safe distance, overtaking, and not adhering to pedestrian crossings, all of which contribute to traffic accidents. Vehicle maintenance He explained that the lack of regular vehicle maintenance by some road users leads to sudden breakdowns that may cause traffic accidents or contribute to the occurrence of other traffic accidents. Al Falahi said that traffic safety is a shared responsibility that requires significant efforts from individuals and society in all its sectors to reduce traffic accidents and protect lives and property. Individuals must adhere to traffic rules, avoid using mobile phones, and participate in awareness campaigns. Society and the private sector must also cooperate with educational institutions and relevant authorities to enhance traffic awareness.
