Drivers must learn to merge properly to avoid accidents

Instructors say to pay attention, check mirrors and use indicators.

ABU DHABI // Merging on to the motorway can be a high-risk manoeuvre and source of anxiety for many new and inexperienced drivers.

But experts say this high-anxiety situation can be avoided if drivers practise safe, responsible driving.

“I always tell my students to be always attentive – buckle up, check their mirrors, use their indicators, and look at the cars behind you before safely entering a road,” said Farman Sarwan Swabi, a 65-year-old driving instructor at a motor driving school in Abu Dhabi.

“It takes a lot of practice and experience to learn a variety of driving skills, especially when entering a motorway.”

Slowing down or abruptly joining on the motorway without adjusting one’s speed to traffic flow can cause collisions and tailbacks.

In the first eight months of the year, entering a road without making sure it was clear led to 232 accidents in the UAE, resulting in 19 deaths, according to Ministry of Interior statistics.

Mr Swabi sat next to his student Kashif Khan, 30, and gave pointers on how to make a U-turn, enter a road, overtake and negotiate a roundabout during a one-hour practical driving lesson in Mussafah last week.

“I’ve been training with him for three weeks now,” said Mr Khan, a banker in Abu Dhabi. “It’s very important for me to learn how to drive under different road and traffic conditions and follow the rules.”

Novice drivers need more supervision. This month, Brig Hussein Al Harthi, director of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, said drivers in the 18 to 30 age group were involved in the majority of accidents in the first nine months of this year.

Speeding remains the main cause of accidents, followed by neglect, lack of attention and sudden swerving, failure to maintain a safe distance between vehicles, running red lights and blown tyres.

At Emirates Driving Company, students learn defensive driving principles, hazard perception skills and how to assess risks, brake safely and keep safe distances, and crash avoidance by leaving sufficient space in front of the car to stop safely.

“You need to adjust your speed to that of the traffic on the motorway before joining it,” said Khaled Al Mansoori, chief executive of Emirates Driving Company. “It’s important to give priority to traffic already on the motorway and join where there is a suitable gap in the right-hand lane. A quick sideways glance may be necessary to verify the position of other vehicles.”

Drivers must stay calm and focused and not let aggressive drivers intimidate them, said Roshanara Sait, director of Ciel Marketing & Events, which organises road safety awareness campaigns.

“Remember the rule, merge like a zip,” she said.

Drivers should also be educated on how to exit a road, such as getting into the exit lane early rather than a last-minute swerving manoeuvre across three lanes of traffic, said Charlie Arnot, 44, an environmental consultant in Dubai.

“It seems to be a matter of local pride as to how late you can leave your exit manoeuvre,” he said.

To prevent sudden swerving and abruptly entering or leaving a motorway, authorities can place unmarked police cars on the road, install closed-circuit televisions at major junctions and launch public awareness campaigns, he said.