Dubai: Reporting to police your own minor fender-bender car accident has never been easier.

Motorists will soon be able to report their own minor vehicle accidents on local roadways via smartphone rather than calling Dubai police officers on patrol to attend the scene, confirmed a senior police official.

In an interview with Gulf News, Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, General Director of Smart Services at Dubai Police, said the police service is set to launch next month a new feature of the popular app — dubbed ‘Report Minor Accident from Phone’.

After reporting their own minor accidents via the app, drivers will receive the police report for the accident, which they can then present to insurers.

The new e-service negates the need to call the police to the site of the accident or even go to a police station.

“Dubai has a lot of vehicles on the road and we aim to provide better services for our people. So, in case there is a minor accident (involving two vehicles), both drivers can send us the report right away, and the police officers will check the data and issue a report right away. A copy for each driver will be sent to their email and to the insurance companies,” Col Al Razooqi explained.

He said that Dubai Police’s strategy is to reach zero visits to Dubai police stations.

“This new feature will reduce traffic jams that occur during traffic accidents because people will not have to wait for the police patrol car to arrive on the scene,” Col Al Razooqi said.

The application used clear and easy-to-use promts.

Some of the information that needs to be entered includes number plates of both cars, the complainant’s licence number, photos of the damages to cars, the complainant’s email and a few other details that will help the officers understand what happened.

Easy to use

“We have worked very hard to make the application easy and simple to use. The app also has a step-by-step guide in both Arabic and English explaining the steps if anyone has trouble using it,” Col Al Razooqi said.

The app allows the reporter to take up to five photos of each vehicle involved. There is also an option to add more vehicles, if the accident involves more than two vehicles.

It also sends the exact location of the accident and identifies the nearest police station, which will be handling the reports for the accident.

Resolving conflicting claims

Col Al Razooqi said that if the two parties involved in the accident do not agree on who is at fault, each can file a report from their phone and the officers will look at both reports, which the system automatically links together, and then decide.

He added that if the police need more information to determine what happened, they will call the drivers involved in the accident.

The new feature will be made available on both the police mobile site and the Dubai police app.

444 reports

The smartphone initiatives, he said, are in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a smart city, with the best and most advanced technology.

Another police app feature launched by Dubai Police in March has received more than 444 reports from the public.

The “We are all police app” allows users with a mobile phone to take photos of traffic violations in progress by other motorists with a mobile phone through the Dubai Police mobile app or mobile website and send it to the police.

Once the police confirm the authenticity of the photo and determine the violation, they fine the violator.

Building on the success of the current app feature, Col Al Razooqi said that they will be rewarding people who frequently send traffic violations through the “We are all police” feature.

“We have asked a team to give us a full report on the people who send us traffic violations and we will be awarding and honouring those who send the most violations on a monthly basis.” He said that they will be rewarding those from March and April at the end of May.