Dubai: A recent poll shows that 97 per cent of the 3,234 respondents do not exceed the speed limit at which the radar can catch them.
In the UAE, there is a grace limit of 20km/h, which is on top of the speed limit displayed on signboards. For example, if the speed limit displayed on the road is 100km/h a motorist can go up to 120km/h without getting fined.
According to a Gulf News poll, only three per cent of the poll respondents said they drive 21km/h or more above the indicated speed limit, which is also over the grace limit, indicating that most abide by speed limits in the country.
The poll also revealed that six per cent of the respondents (204 people) drive slower than the posted speed limit, while 43 per cent (1,391) of the people follow the speed limit, 25 per cent (814) drive between 1-10km/h over the road speed limit and 22 per cent (716) drive between 11-20km/h over the road speed limit.
This supports results of a speeding-related survey by global insurer Zurich and RoadSafetyUAE.com, which was published earlier in Gulf News, that indicated that of the 1,005 respondents, 82 per cent claimed to never drive faster than the official maximum enforced speed limit of 140km/h.
The survey also said that 18 per cent have exceeded this limit, with only five per cent claiming to have driven at speeds between 180-260km/h.
Ruby Mustafa, 27, from Lebanon, said, “I believe the speed limit helps ensure road safety and holds back fast drivers — at least most of them — as opposed to if there were no limit.”
She added that the fine for speeding is hefty, which makes drivers think twice before speeding.
Ruby said that she never exceeds the grace limit and uses cruise control to maintain that speed on highways, “I do not like to speed more than that because I do not want to put myself or others in danger,” she said.
Mohammad Omar, 38, from the UK, said that speed limits are sensible in Dubai. “I do not like using the grace limit. I think it’s fine to have a grace limit on highways, but on inner roads where there are pedestrians, I think people should just stick with the speed limit,” he said.
Indian Sarfaraz Jukaku, 30, said that for most roads the speed limit is reasonable. “But in my opinion there is some room to increase the speed limit on Shaikh Zayed and Al Khail roads, as it can help traffic move faster.”
He said that he does use the grace limit, adding that it’s the government’s right to fine people who go over the grace limit.
