Video cameras in taxis are helping to cut time and costs associated with filing an insurance claim in a number countries including Australia, the United States and Singapore but the trend is unlikely to take off in the UAE despite the benefits.
In Singapore, taxi drivers are increasingly installing video cameras in their taxis for insurance purposes. There are 26,000 taxis in Singapore and while the number of those with cameras installed is still low, three of Singapore’s seven cab companies are actively rolling out cameras in their taxis, Comfort, CityCab and TransCab.
The trend did not begin as a company-wide initiative, instead individual drivers began to install the devices out of fear of accidents and to use the footage in insurance claims.
“I was in an accident a few years ago and was hit on my side by a Porsche. It was very long and difficult to prove whose fault it was,” said Rahim Humza Ibrahim, a taxi driver in Singapore. “So I installed the camera a few months ago, I had another accident and it was easy this time, I gave the tape to prove it was not my fault.”
“It records video and sound and I got it just in case, if I have an accident. It has a memory card inside and I just delete it every night after work,” said Charlie Li, another taxi driver in Singapore.
The devices are cheap, typically costing US$20, and most of them are imported from China and are mounted just below the rear-view mirror, recording what the driver sees. While it records conversations in the taxi, passengers are not in the footage.
Similar schemes are under way in a number of US states, Australia and New Zealand but as yet the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has no plans to launch such an initiative, although some taxi drivers say they would be in favour of it.
“First of all the number of taxi traffic accidents in the UAE is not high. Using the cameras in taxis can add a lot of advantages to the taxis in operation such as customer satisfaction and security. At this moment there is no plan to use cameras in taxis due to some regulations and cultural requirements,” said Yousif Mohammed Al Ali, the acting chief executive of the RTA.
Benjamin Smith, an associate at Clyde & Co, added: “There is legislation in Dubai which relates specifically to the installation and operation of CCTV cameras. In certain circumstances, only authorised service providers can install CCTV cameras. A taxi driver may not have the authority to install a CCTV camera in his car and disclose the images it records to third parties.
“In the UAE, it is a criminal offence to disclose confidential information about people that is obtained in the course of work without their consent.”
thamid@thenational.ae
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
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On sale: May or June
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Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
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- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
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CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
