The authorities should be congratulated on the 21 per cent drop in deaths due to traffic accidents across the UAE in the first quarter of 2015. The UAE’s motorists also deserve credit for driving more safely, but bitter experience has proved that they lack community spirit when on the roads, making harsh enforcement of safe driving rules the most effective deterrent. Any drop in the UAE’s murderous traffic statistics has to attributed to the police and road authorities acting more effectively.

It is a surprise that speeding (which has been the major cause of deaths in the past) was behind only 6.8 per cent of all accidents in the country, and this is a hopeful indication that speeding rules are being enforced more rigorously. The main causes of accidents this year are sudden swerving (20 per cent), lack of consideration (22.6 per cent) and driving too close to other vehicles (12.3 per cent). Sadly, these dangerous driving errors cannot be easily overseen by remote cameras, which makes them very much harder to police. That will require more police on the roads ready to take action and pull errant drivers over.