Dubai: Navigating traffic can be difficult enough without someone tailgating you at a dangerously high speed. But it is one of the most common problems UAE drivers face and the third leading cause of traffic deaths in Dubai. As a result, from today, radars are going to automatically detect people tailgating, which is keeping a distance of 5 metres or less at a speed of 80km/h or higher.
However, several Gulf News readers feel that the prescribed minimum safe distance is not exactly safe at high speeds.
“To be very honest the safe distance should be increased by a lot more because five metres is not all that much. It is the length of a car, which is really scary. It is never safe to be a distance of a car away from another car while driving,” Louise Bolo, a Dubai-based Filipina, said.
Another reader, Ajith Kumar Pillai, agreed. “Five metres is actually really very little and normally tailgaters don’t leave as much,” the Indian said. For someone who has been driving in the UAE for well over a decade, he has seen his fair share of road rage. “I’ve faced tailgating many times and have narrowly escaped being involved in an accident because of it. With the drivers coming close and flashing their lights, they force you off the lane,” he added.
For many readers, however, tailgating was just one part of the bigger problem of poor driving.
One major concern for readers was the habit of motorists who cut in when a driver does maintain a safe distance.
Stuart Watts, a Briton living in Dubai, said: “Of course five metres is not enough. But, if you drive on the roads in Dubai, you also know that if you leave a safe distance of 20 metres, it won’t be 20 metres for long.” He felt that education was key to creating better driving habits overall. “It is not just one issue. It is about getting people to drive in the right lane at the right speed, for them to make the decision earlier when they’re going to exit. I’ve seen people fly across five lanes to catch an exit at the last minute.”
— The writer is a trainee with the Readers Desk at Gulf News
