Dubai: Tolerance is the single most important advice when it comes to road manners, Dubai's traffic police chief says.
"Be tolerant and show some leniency towards other road users. If someone tailgates you, let them pass, move away, give way, keep your cool and don't let yourself become a victim of road rage," advises Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department.
According to him, road manners are as important as skills when it comes to drivers because "safety is the main concern on the road and it is just not worth it to become enraged, which causes health problems, while returning home safely is worth the world to you and your family", said Maj Gen Al Zafein, who has a keen interest in public awareness campaigns.
Dangerous place
"The roads are a dangerous place, and many people make the mistake of being overconfident, but I say that no matter how good your driving skills are, you cannot trust that other drivers will not cause an accident, so always be defensive and prepared," he said. "For example, when you are the first at a traffic signal, do not rush to cross when the light turns green, but look around and check that no one from the other side is jumping the red light before you move," he said.
Maj Gen Al Zafein said speed is the root of all evil when it comes to driving. "Speed is the major problem because it is a latent danger, which means that in an ideal scenario speed should be no problem, but any other factor, no matter how small, when added to speed will cause a disaster," he said.
"Any physical mass moving at a certain speed has kinetic energy, and this is what causes destruction when a vehicle crashes into another or overturns," he said, adding that a safe speed is the speed limit of the road plus the margin.
Speeding reduces the reaction time available to the driver. A driver needs between 0.7 seconds and 1.2 seconds depending on the age of the driver and other factors, Maj Gen Al Zafein said. "When a driver is confronted with danger, he will do one of five things, either swerve to the right, swerve to the left, speed up, brake to stop, or do nothing at all," he said.
"The reaction time is the time that elapses before a driver does one of these things, and by this time it would be too late to do anything if he was speeding, because the vehicle would have moved a long distance," he said. Maj Gen Al Zafein believes speed limits on Dubai roads should be reconsidered.
"Each road should be considered separately, and speed limits need revision and assessment because some roads need the speed limit reduced along with the speed margin [allowance over speed limit], which is currently 20km/h on all roads regardless of maximum speed limit," he said.
Vital role
The speed limit on some other roads needs to be increased but currently the 20km/h margin makes up for that, he said. Speed limit assessment is done in cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority.
"When the speed limits were reduced, there was a drop in the number of accidents and fatal accidents, and when the speed limit margin given to pick-up trucks, vans and taxis was reduced by 10km/h, there was a noticeable decrease in their accidents as well," he said.
The family plays a vital role in ensuring road safety, because it is at home that the child learns most things, including driving manners. "Teach your children that they should be careful and considerate drivers and should not be talking on the phone, playing a game or texting while driving," Maj Gen Al Zafein said. "We cannot afford to lose lives on the roads, and this is why safety is our main concern."
Safety tips
- Think twice about your safety.
- Always think of what may go wrong. Expect the unexpected.
- Be careful around school buses whether they are moving or standing. Expect a child to jump from behind the bus and cross the road.
- Be careful whenever there is an obstacle blocking your vision and expect someone to appear from behind it.
- Be defensive and think beyond what you see.
- Stay away from heavy vehicles.
- Do not overtake from the hard shoulder because there might be a vehicle stopped there.
- Forgive people, avoid rage and move away. Be the forgiving party and let other drivers learn from you.
- Drive your car, don't let it drive you. You are the one in charge, so keep your cool and stay in control.
