Road campaign offers six best tips to safe driving

Dubai: Driving on Dubai's roads can be stress-free if you know the six best driving practices. The latest road safety campaign aims to provide motorists with just that.

Be alert, keep your distance, watch your speed, wear your seatbelt, check your tyre pressure and keep your hands free, according to the latest drive called Be Smart, Drive Safe.

"It is easy to blame others and declare other drivers to be reckless. Yet are we really thinking about the way each one of us drives on the roads?" asked Saeed Khalfan, chairman of the Dubai Autodrome, part organiser of the campaign.

Khalfan urged motorists "to be smart and adhere to the safety tips" promoted in the campaign. "My hope is that the awareness created by this campaign will, in the long run, save many lives."

The safety campaign urges drivers to take a break or to stop driving when tired or sleepy, citing international studies that reveal that driver fatigue accounts for up to 20 per cent of serious car accidents.

It also calls on drivers to avoid tailgaiting, which it says is one of the most common causes of accidents on Dubai highways. "Abide by the 'three second rule' where they are at least a 'two car' distance from the car in front."

To prevent accidents due to tyre issues, drivers should check their tyres at least once a month for damage or cracks. Tyre pressures should be checked and adjusted at least twice a month.

The campaign also discourages motorists from talking on a mobile phone while driving. Driving while using a mobile phone is illegal in the UAE.

The twelve-week road safety campaign starts on July 15 and will feed motorists with promotional messages on safe driving. Phase two of the campaign runs in October and will feature roadshows on how motorists can keep Dubai's roads safer.

"Most people in this country have friends or family who have been involved in road related accidents. If people are smart and drive safely by adhering to the simple tips that this campaign is promoting we can all make our roads safer and more pleasant to drive on," said Khaled Al Mutawaa of the HSBC Racing Academy.

The Be Smart, Drive Safe campaign is organised by the Road Transport Authority, Dubai, Police, Dubai Autodrome, HSBC and Audi.