Speed doesn’t kill

Dubai: There is a perception about speed as being a major cause of accidents, but experts think otherwise.

“People tend to believe that there are lots of accidents here because of high speed, which is not true. Speed is rarely the cause of an accident. It’s a contributing factor to the injuries. What causes an accident is the action of a driver like using a mobile phone and not paying attention on road,” said Robert Hodges.

Citing the example of Germany, which has one the highest speed limits in the world and also has some of the safest roads, he said: “On some of German motorways, which they call autobahns, there are no speed restrictions at all. But Germany only has 4.7 deaths per 100,000 population, which is one of the lowest rates of accidents in the world.”

He argued that German roads are safer despite having virtually no speed restrictions because, “over the years, they have maintained stricter control on a lot of distractions.”

He said it is important to realise that driving is a 100 per cent concentration job, so no phone is allowed, not eating or drinking and no fooling around, so naturally there will be less chances of accidents.

Causes

Here are some of the causative factors prevalent in the UAE, as outlined by Robert Hodges.

Ignoring training

Most people who enrol for driver’s training don’t want to learn how to drive - they just want to get a driving licence. A majority of these people who have been driving back home or have a licence from their native countries come with a mind-set that they don’t need any training.

So they may undergo training half-heartedly only to be able to pass the test and then get on with how they were driving back home.

Peer pressure

Peer pressure or group resonance plays a role in developing bad driving habits. How a person sees others drive while growing up is etched in his mind and add to that the urge to look ‘cool’ by attempting to follow the prevalent driving styles among friends and family leads to trouble on the roads.

Influence of video games and movies also contribute to forming bad driving habits as youngsters try to imitate their heroes.

Distractions

People in the UAE don’t seem to believe that driving is a serious occupation which requires 100 per cent of the driver’s concentration.

It is totally unsafe to distract yourself with activities like eating, using mobile phone, putting on make-up or listening to loud music while driving. Multi-tasking while driving is unacceptable and is one of the major causes of accidents. People should be indoctrinated about the dangers of multi-tasking on the road.

Supercars

In developed countries, young/inexperienced drivers are not allowed by law or discouraged through exorbitant insurance costs to not drive supercars. In some countries, people have to undergo special training and test to be able to drive high-powered vehicles, which is not the case here, leading to disastrous consequences.

Obstructions

Obstructions like tints, sunglasses, roller screens and blinds hamper visibility and these things are commonly used by motorists in the UAE.

Some drivers can hardly see out of their vehicles in daylight, due to the percentage of tint on glasses or the roller screens used. These people risk their own lives as well that of other road users.