All UAE drivers must follow the same highway code
▶ The death toll on the country’s roads has been reduced, but there is much work to do
The news that the compulsory wearing of seatbelts has contributed to a reduction in the number of deaths on the UAE’s roads is to be welcomed, even if it is tempered by the statistic that 60 per cent of those who die in road accidents were not wearing seatbelts. Much ground has been covered over the past few years, but more work still needs to be done. A recent YouGov survey has identified a number of bad practices that contribute to stress and accidents on our roads, including abrupt lane-changing, speeding, cutting in and tailgating.
A variety of other measures could add to the improvements in road safety already being made: speed limits could be unified throughout the UAE and, as in Abu Dhabi, the speed buffer should be scrapped. Technology can also help. In some countries, in-car “black box” devices that record speed are becoming a condition of cheaper car insurance. For those who insist on mistaking the public highway as a suitable venue for dangerous self-expression, clear laws and tough penalties must be enforced. The UAE has done much to reduce the death toll on its roads, which fell from 6.1 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 4.4 last year. The target of three deaths per 100,000, set out in UAE Vision 2021, is well within grasp, but now is the time to step up the pressure, not only to achieve that objective but to go beyond it.
One way of quickly improving matters is making sure everyone is following the same highway code. The UAE is home to people from 200 nations. Each driver brings with them the style of driving to which they are accustomed, and such cultural disparities can create confusion and dangers. An intensive introduction to the UAE’s rules in the form of a mandatory theory test for all drivers regardless of where they are from, to be completed within three months of arrival in the country, could do much to harmonise behaviour and make the daily commute a pleasure, not a chore.