Road safety: Cut out cruising in the middle

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is doing its best with regard to designing - and in some cases redesigning - safer roads based on research that has been done both locally and internationally. One of the concerns in the UAE is traffic congestion.

The higher the number of moving vehicles in any given space, the higher the risk of a "crash". The ongoing road-widening projects are expected to ease traffic congestion. However, whatever the condition of the road, what the driver needs to keep in mind at all times is safety.

And one piece of advice on staying safe on the roads for drivers is: always keep to the right except when you need to overtake, or if you have been directed to do so by a policeman or an official.

Take a look at the roads and you'd be inclined to believe that many people love to drive in the middle lane no matter what. This causes other motorists to overtake the vehicle from both sides, sometimes at the same time.

The driver in the middle becomes a high-risk ‘meat in the sandwich'. There are of course times when you need to drive in the middle lane such as when the right lane is going to become an exit, for instance. However, some drivers seem to believe that driving in the middle lane (in a three-lane road) is the best option "just in case'' the right lane turns off to an exit they do not intend to take. Adopting such an attitude results in the driver not paying attention to safety precautions or not concentrating properly on the road - an ideal recipe for a crash.

Driving on public roads means that drivers should adopt the ‘driving line'. However, this is not the case when driving on a race track where an instructor may advise you to take the ‘racing line', depending on the activity.

The ‘driving line' is the safe line for public roads where you can see constantly developing situations. The ‘racing line' on a track is safe as you will not encounter traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and so on.

All roads will indeed benefit from extra lanes, but only if the driver is sufficiently educated and understands how to use the road safely and what could be the consequences of not doing so. All too often we see a car that has been using the left lane for several kilometres cut across four lanes in a flash to get to his exit. Maybe he didn't realise that his exit was approaching, but then that is another reason to keep to the right - so he will be prepared when he approaches the exit he needs to take.

The right lane is not only for slow-moving traffic. It is also the safest place to be as the potential danger posed by other traffic is confined to one side, the left. You're also further away from the traffic travelling in the opposite direction.

But that said, whichever lane you are in, one of the most important things you have to do is to buckle up. This is something that cannot be overemphasised. The driver and passengers should all be buckled up when the car is moving. It's a simple mantra, which if followed by everyone would keep our roads safer. Keep right. Keep buckled up. Keep safe.

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