There is no such thing as a fast lane

Driver ignorance about basic safety rules is shown by the rampant misuse of highway overtaking lanes.

Many rear-ending accidents are caused by large differences in speed between vehicles on the fast lane. Ravindranath K / The National

With slow but steady progress being made to reduce the UAE’s high road toll, drivers are still guilty of making basic mistakes. Attitudes towards using the so-called “fast lane” on the highway is a case in point, with some drivers mistakenly using it for their entire journeys rather than solely to overtake.

As The National reported yesterday, road safety experts condemn this practice – and the use of the term "fast lane" instead of "overtaking lane". The reason for their complaint will be familiar to even the most casual highway user. Who hasn't witnessed a faster car coming up behind another in the left-most lane, flashing its lights and then embarking on a dangerous and illegal overtaking manoeuvre on either the hard shoulder or an inner lane? Local statistics demonstrate the risks of this behaviour. Of the 463 road deaths in the first eight months this year, 113 – just under a quarter – were identified as being the result of sudden swerving.

As any road safety adviser will say, the answer to bringing the UAE’s road toll down to that of other modern developed countries lies in a series of small steps: education about the rules and enforcement of them, ensuring road engineering is of the highest quality, that everyone wears safety belts, that the cars on the roads are well maintained, and so on. An example of this is the way speed cameras have become widespread in the past 10 years, prompting a noticeable reduction in speeding.

So it is exasperating when even simple rules of safe driving are routinely ignored. The misuse of the overtaking lane exemplifies this, with some drivers acting as if it was their domain and that it is beneath their dignity to use any other lane.

Some drivers seem to believe that the road rules apply to everyone else and that their self-assessed high skill level provides some kind of personal exemption. This kind of foolish thinking is one reason why the road toll is so high, with the flow-on effects of too many injured road users and mourning families. Safety must begin with following the rules.