Five bright students from Khalifa University have developed what could be the next big thing in road safety – ‘Green Light’ tailgating system.

The students, all aged between 20-22 years of age, will be heading to Huawei headquarters’ technology exhibition next week, and will pitch their invention to some of the world’s biggest investors.

Mohamed Al Yousef, a mechanical engineering student and co-founder of ‘Green Light,’ said that the invention could help save dozens of lives lost on UAE roads.

“Tailgating is the second biggest cause of road accidents in UAE, after sudden swerving. Nine per cent of road accidents in UAE in 2015 were caused by motorists not maintaining a safe distance between vehicles.”

“Many drivers in the UAE flash each other to get out of the way, so we thought of creating a device that can help stop this dangerous habit,” added the 20-year-old.

He explained how the invention can be effective on UAE roads: “If the distance between the two vehicles is less than the safety distance, a flash will appear and a picture is taken of the license-plate, which is sent to the police, followed by fining the driver.”

He noted that 70 people died on UAE’s roads last year due to tailgating, including people he knew, which is also what motivated him to work on the project.

Al Yousef, along with his team, Hareb Al Ali, Abdullah Al Jaberi, Adam Al Suwaidi and Nada El Sokkary, together won the ‘Seeds for the Future’ competition, where 150 teams competed.

They said they were looking forward to taking their invention to China, pitching their product to global investors and representing UAE outside the country.

“We just want people to drive safely, so hopefully, our device can help save many lives in the future,” said Al Jaberi.

“This innovation will over time change people’s attitudes towards tailgating,” noted Al Suwaidi.

“Someone’s life is not worth a few meters,” added Nada El Sokkary.