Sharjah: Inclement weather might have brought misery to road users on Wednesday but not for eight drivers who each won Dh1,000 for doing what they’re supposed to do on the road — drive safely.
Some eight drivers stood out while driving in light to moderate rain on Wednesday and were recognised as safe drivers in the Sharjah edition of the Porsche RoadStar Campaign. They were each awarded for observing the basic principles of safe driving such as using indicators, seat belts and hands-free mobile phone kits.
Kalpana Gopalaswamy, an electronics and instrumentation engineer from India and one of Wednesday’s winners, admitted that driving in bad weather can be tough.
“Whenever it’s raining, it’s very challenging to drive on the road, especially in Sharjah. Anyone can just cut into your lane so you really need to be very cautious,” Gopalaswamy, 26, told Gulf News.
Though she was running late for work because of the traffic chaos caused by the rain, Gopalaswamy said she took her time to avoid any accidents.
“I know I’m already late so I took my time rather than get into an accident. What’s the point of driving fast? However fast you drive, you’re gonna get there late anyway. So be cool and drive safely,” she said.
Nasser Ali Murad, 57, from Comoros Islands, did the same. He was picking up his two children from school when police rewarded him for safe driving.
“When it’s raining, it’s even more important that we drive safely. Some people don’t know how to drive in the rain. They switch their hazard lights on unnecessarily,” said Murad, who served in the UAE military for 30 years.
He stressed drivers who are in doubt about what to do in situations like this should take refresher courses in driving.
The 31st edition of the Porsche RoadStar campaign will patrol the roads of Sharjah for the last instalment of the contest on Thursday.