Proposals to jail reckless drivers for 24 hours are feasible, said Col Jamal Al Ameri, head of public relations at Abu Dhabi Police’s Traffic and Patrols Directorate, but they would need to be supported by studies on driver behaviour and statistics.
“Authorities are keen on stricter enforcement of traffic laws,” he said. “This is just a recommendation, which is good, because the objective is to prevent reckless driving.”
Any society committed to reducing the levels of collisions and deaths on roads needs to send a clear statement that dangerous and reckless behaviour would not be tolerated, said Simon Labbett, project director at Sheida, the road safety standards body in Oman.
“Is one day in prison a sufficient deterrent to the driver to influence change in driving behaviour?” Mr Labbett said.
In some European countries, the penalty for dangerous driving is two years’ imprisonment, rising up to a maximum of 10 years if a death results.
“The application of the road safety law and how ‘reckless driving’ is defined by the police, how this is communicated to the driving public, and how the standards of enforcement are met, is critical,” said Dino Kalivas, chairman of the driver education and training committee at the International Road Federation.
“Police will need to demonstrate where and how such laws are applied and the integrity of such laws are determined by the ability of police to assess, determine and apply such laws in an objective manner.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
