Renewed calls to get back-seat passengers in the UAE to buckle up
May 6, 2014
DUBAI // The director of Dubai’s traffic police has proposed Dh400 fines for those who fail to wear seat belts in the rear of vehicles.
At present, it is only law for front-seat passengers to buckle up. However, there are calls for child seats to be made compulsory and back-seat passengers to belt up. A law is expected to come into force this year.
Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen said that a rule should be in place so that a driver travelling with passengers who were not buckled up would be fined Dh400 and receive four black points on their licences.
He added that back-seat passengers who did not wear seat belts were putting themselves in danger and that most injuries sustained from traffic accidents could be avoided by buckling up. He said: “The basic idea behind the seat belt is to stop the passenger from being thrown out of the front window of the car in case the vehicle comes to a sudden stop. The passenger will not be able to hold himself back [because of the speed].”
Maj Gen Al Zafeen said studies showed that the risk of death to people in the front seats increased if a back-seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt.
“When an accident occurs, a vehicle moving at 100kph would come to a halt suddenly, while its passengers are thrust forward at the same speed,” he said.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
Published: May 6, 2014 04:00 AM
