Evening traffic on the E11 motorway near Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi. Driving authorities say road users, particularly young ones, were a cause for concern after more than a third said they had been in an accident. As drivers from many countries use UAE roads, standards were not uniform. Silvia Razgova / The National
Evening traffic on the E11 motorway near Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi. Driving authorities say road users, particularly young ones, were a cause for concern after more than a third said they had been in aShow more

Survey shows drivers see increase in reckless driving



ABU DHABI // Almost four in five motorists in a survey say reckless driving on the country’s roads has increased over the past five years.

Seventy-seven per cent of the 1,007 drivers polled said there were more reckless drivers on the roads than in 2009, and about a third admitted that they had been in a collision.

“It is alarming to see a perception among UAE residents that there are more reckless drivers today,” said Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE.

“A safer driving environment for all road users will be created if motorists change their mindset to become more considerate, patient and aware. Across the UAE there needs to be a cultural shift in attitudes to ensure motorists take responsibility for their own behaviour and look out for one another on the roads.”

More than two-thirds of respondents, or 68 per cent, said the leading cause of accidents was speeding.

That was followed by tailgating (56 per cent), being distracted from driving (47 per cent), frequent lane changes (32 per cent) and driving in the wrong lane (18 per cent).

But in a worrying trend, only half of the drivers aged between 18 and 24 believed speeding was a significant cause of accidents. For those over 40, that figure was 74 per cent.

“Many initiatives have been introduced to police reckless driving but not enough has been done to change the behaviour of drivers, especially the young ones,” said Dr Salaheddine Bendak, associate professor at University of Sharjah.

“To illustrate a point, when Germany removed speed limits on some motorways most drivers kept driving at reasonable speeds.

“Results showed that speeds recorded above 140kph on these motorways were rare, and drivers were still choosing to drive at reasonable speeds although there was no speed limit.

“This was because of the behavioural changes that Germany achieved before speed limits on their freeways were removed.”

Dr Bendak has published studies on seat belt use and tyre safety.

Thirty-six per cent of those in the youngest age group said they had already been in an accident, with 43 per cent saying they were distracted while behind the wheel.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 3,170 traffic accidents, resulting in 463 deaths and 4,4602 injuries, Ministry of Interior statistics show.

Brian Reilly, chief executive of Zurich Insurance Middle East, said he was worried about the high proportion of young UAE drivers who had already been in an accident.

“Both speed and tailgating are verified causes of road accidents and we encourage all road users to drive at a suitable speed and maintain a safe distance from other cars,” Mr Reilly said.

Effective driver training and licensing standards are critical to road safety, said Dino Kalivas, chairman of the driver education and training committee at the International Road Federation.

“In a country such as the UAE, the challenge is greater due to the constant change of the demographic and, with many people from countries with either limited driver experience or driver training and licensing standards that are lower than the UAE,” Mr Kalivas said.

“Human beings are always the weakest point in any system as drivers make mistakes.”

More vigorous road-safety initiatives in schools, parental education and an emphasis on their role in the behaviour of their children as drivers are also needed, Dr Bendak said.

“We could also have hard-hitting and emotional TV and radio campaigns, put billboards on major roads showing accident statistics, and get the private sector involved in raising road safety awareness in the workplace.”

YouGov conducted the survey for Zurich Insurance Group in June.

rruiz@thenational.ae

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
Guide to intelligent investing
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

Last-16

France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')

Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')

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Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.