Every year, about 1.35 million people die from road traffic injuries, the World Health Organisation has said.
A further 50 million people worldwide are hurt or disabled by such injuries, placing the issue of road safety high on the UN agenda.
However, much of the world has fallen short of a target to halve the number of road deaths and injuries by 2020.
People aged 15 to 29 were found to have the greatest chance of dying in a road crash. Traffic injuries are currently thought to be the eighth leading cause of death across the world. This is predicted to climb to seventh by 2030.
But how does the Middle East compare when it comes to keeping people safe on the roads?
Anyone can get a driver's licence without even taking the driver's test. All one would have to do is 'grease the wheel' a little bit
Tammam Nakkash,
road safety campaigner, Lebanon
Dave Cliff, chief executive of the Global Road Safety Partnership at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told The National there is a problem in the region of "significant underreporting" of accidents and deaths.
“Underreporting of fatal and serious-injury crashes is a major global problem, particularly in low and middle-income countries," he said.
“GRSP highlighted this exact issue to the recent UN high-level meeting on road safety."
He suggested that lower traffic volumes in many countries as a result of Covid-19 restrictions could also have had an effect.
The next WHO global status report is due in 2023.
UAE
Despite increasing levels of traffic, road deaths in the UAE have almost halved since 2014 due to a series of safety measures and regulations.
In 2014, 712 deaths were recorded in road traffic accidents by the Ministry of Interior. This fell to 675 in 2015, 448 in 2019 and 381 last year.
Government figures show that road deaths have fallen by two thirds since 2008, when 1,072 were reported.
But despite the drop in the number of recorded UAE road deaths, WHO figures suggest considerably more people could have lost their lives in these circumstances.
In 2015, the WHO estimated there were 1,676 road deaths compared with 870 in 2019 — about double the 448 figure recorded in the Emirates.
The WHO estimates road traffic deaths by assessing a range of national variables.
They include gross domestic product, total vehicles for every 1,000 people, the number of roads, national speed limits, access to health care, the working population, percentage of motorbikes, corruption and national policies for walking and cycling.
Saudi Arabia
The number of people killed as a result of road traffic crashes in Saudi Arabia has more than doubled in a decade to 27.4 for every 100,000 people.
The country aims to reduce the number of road traffic deaths to fewer than 10 for every 100,000 people by 2030.
In 2015, the WHO reported 8,313 road deaths but that number leapt to 12,317 in 2019 — the most recent annual data set.
Road safety strategies include a penalty point system and ensuring motorcycle helmet laws apply to all riders, both drivers and passengers.
Seat-belt laws have been extended to include all occupants in the rear, while drink-driving laws are also in effect despite a nationwide alcohol ban.
In 2018, the National Ministerial Traffic Safety Committee began a four-year road safety strategy. It established collaborative relationships between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior and others to address the different causes of road traffic accidents.
Oman
Speeding and poor driving skills are being blamed as the main causes of road accidents in the sultanate.
In 2015, the country's number of road deaths was 696 — that fell to 527 in 2019.
Revised seat-belt laws to apply to passengers as well as drivers, new child-restraint laws and a ban on using mobile phones at the wheel addressed some of the main causes of road deaths.
Bahrain
In 2021, Bahrain achieved the largest reduction in road deaths and injuries in the region — a 35 per cent drop.
Overall since 2015, road deaths have fallen from an annual number of 103 to 85 in 2019.
Although the development of new cities increased traffic volume, it did not result in more road injuries and fatalities.
This was a result of better traffic monitoring, more rigorous law enforcement by increased foot and car patrols, and engineering solutions in congested areas.
Jordan
The number of road deaths have fallen in Jordan from 2,220 in 2015 to 1,717 in 2018 according to the WHO — but the country remains plagued by high traffic-related fatalities and injuries.
National seat-belt laws apply only to drivers and are moderately enforced.
According to the GRSP, only 42 per cent of front-seat occupants were found to be wearing seat-belts.
There are no child-restraint laws and a third of those killed on the roads are pedestrians.
The Traffic Department has been more active in campaigning publicly for road safety, mainly by publishing regular statistics and shaming reckless drivers on social media and publishing photos of horrific accidents.
Roads in Jordan are poorly maintained although the Saudi Fund for Development has paid in the past decade for major motorways, including a large proportion of the desert road south, a new motorway to Zarqa — Jordan’s second city — and the airport road.
There is the occasional speed camera but not to the degree that exists in the Gulf.
The Traffic Department often cites speeding as a cause of accidents.
Lebanon
A 2021 study by the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut found 72 per cent of those injured in road accidents were men, with an average age of 32.
It also found almost half of those injured (48 per cent) were passengers aged 15-29, while motorcyclists suffered the greatest proportion of injuries at 38 per cent.
Figures from the WHO showed traffic deaths rose from 1,058 in 2015, to 1,127 in 2019.
Half of the accidents occurred on unmarked two-way roads.
A national assessment in 2016 looked at the functional and structural condition of the roads and rated the safety of the network for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists from one to five stars.
Only 10 per cent of the network was awarded the benchmark three-star rating or better.
Since then, a $170 million loan from the World Bank under the Safer Roads Investment Plan aimed to improve safety on roads to give 70 per cent of routes a three-star rating by 2030.
In 2021, a further 20 auditors were trained to monitor improvements and conduct regular safety checks at traffic pinch-points in Beirut.
Tammam Nakkash, a transport systems expert and public transportation advocate, says traffic safety laws are rarely enforced consistently.
"Anyone can get a driver's licence without even taking the driver's test," Mr Nakkash said. "All one would have to do is 'grease the wheel' a little bit."
Despite being legally obliged to, drivers and front-seat passengers rarely wear their seat-belts and the law is often not enforced — neither is a law stipulating that babies and infants must ride in child-seats until they are 5.
Mr Nakkash, who had long advocated a reliable public transport system in Lebanon, said road safety in the country had essentially crumbled.
"We are worse off than it ever was in the past, we are similar to how Beirut was around 1994-1995," he said, referring to a turbulent era of post-war reconstruction, when much of the capital's infrastructure was in disarray after 15 years of civil war.
"It's chaos."
Additional reporting by Nada Homsi in Beirut and Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Jordan
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
