Because of the churn in the resident population and the increasing number of tourists, there will always be many people who are unfamiliar with our laws and customs. We can see the results of this everywhere, particularly on our roads.
People from different countries bring with them their own style of driving. For some, it’s a matter of getting used to driving on the other side of the road, for others it’s not knowing whether the rules of giving way, overtaking and turning at intersections are the same as in their homeland. Of course, all this information is available from the authorities and every driver should know what the requirements are. But there is one area where confusion persists – and that is the matter of speed limits.
Part of the problem lies with the buffer built into speed limits. As The National reported this week, the limit on sections of the Abu Dhabi to Al Ghuwaifat Road will be reduced to 100 kph, but with a 21 kph buffer – meaning the actual speed a motorist can drive is 121 kph. With a similar buffer in 60 kph residential zones, cars travel as fast as they can on motorways in some parts of the world.
It is natural for a driver to see the internationally recognised speed-limit sign – a number in black with a red circle around it on a white background – and assume that that is the maximum allowable speed. They are more likely to see these signs than the far-less-frequent notices pointing out the difference between the recommended speed and the maximum speed. Emiratis and long-term residents may know that they can exceed the posted limit, but many newcomers, tourists and business travellers will not. This confusion can contribute to tailgating and other aggressive driving behaviour, which likely will lead to more accidents.
The simple solution is to set a limit that is appropriate for the road in question – be it 60 kph or 140 kph – and put up signs that spell it out. Apart from a very small margin to account for inexact speedometers, there should be no buffer. All offenders should be fined. Our road toll is unacceptably high, and any move that reduces confusion about the rules ought to be implemented.
