Until recently, the UAE’s roads were among the most dangerous in the world. Bad driving habits have persisted despite many awareness campaigns, but stringent measures implemented in the past few years appear to be making progress.
As The National reports today, the UAE has one of the lowest records of deaths from traffic accidents in the region. The Pulitzer Center, a US agency, found the UAE had 12.7 road deaths per 100,000 members of the population. That is significantly lower than the rates in Oman (30.4), Iran (34.1) and Saudi Arabia (24.8). But the rates are still higher than those in the UK (3.7) and Sweden (3.0). Clearly, there is still a lot to be done to reduce the number of road fatalities.
The authorities across the country, and particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, have taken the right steps in terms of legislation, enforcement and infrastructure to catch reckless drivers, such as speeding cameras and unmarked police cars. Worn-out tyres, which led to 22 deaths in 2009, are now less of a problem than before thanks to enforcement. But even more needs to be done to enforce the measures already in place.
Police visibility has clearly increased recently and drivers pulled over by the authorities is an increasingly common sight. Despite this, it is still common to see reckless behaviour on the roads, primarily speeding, tailgating and intimidating other drivers. Each one of these habits often leads to a significant number of accidents.
Consistency is key to reduce road fatalities. Campaigns to encourage motorists to wear seat belts, which experts say would cut road deaths by 50 per cent, should continue throughout the year and on all public highways. Fixed speed cameras must be augmented by more mobile police patrols to catch drivers who flout the speed limits between the cameras.
Robust measures to protect road users are also needed. Pedestrians are still at risk from drivers who ignore, or are unaware of, zebra crossings.
Speed bumps that force drivers to slow down before crossings and traffic lights that make them stop to allow pedestrians to cross the road will save many lives every year.
Road safety is a work in progress, and the UAE still has a long way to go in this area. Being the best in the region is not enough. We need to make our roads some of the safest in the world.
