Speeding killed 230 people on our roads last year: don’t play fast and loose with limits

Atraffic sign is a traffic sign. What is written on a traffic sign should not be open to interpretation, buffers or anything else.

As in other countries, the meaning of road signage must be crystal clear: a stop sign means stop; a no left turn sign means no left turn, a speed sign with 120kph means the maximum speed is 120kph. So, it is certainly a step in the right direction to get rid of the speed buffers in the UAE.

However, as the elimination of speed buffers comes into force only in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, we believe a uniform rule should also apply on a federal level. Only this step would deliver the idea of having clear “what you see is what it means” speed limit traffic signs in the country. There can be no equivocation.

Speeding remains one of the main killers on UAE roads.

Last year, it caused the deaths of 230 people out of a total of 525 road fatalities. But in addition to the mere elimination of speed buffers, Road Safety UAE also hopes that this step will go hand in hand with increased speed enforcement activities by the authorities.

There need to be mobile radar units, a greater police presence, and an initiative to introduce sections of road where average speeds are monitored – and the speed limit enforced.

Buffer zones have given drivers an inch and they’ve taken it a mile. That has to end across the UAE – road safety is not up for negotiation