Due to the ongoing road works at Salam Street, driving through Hamdan Street towards the Tourist Club area of Abu Dhabi has become similar to driving on a racetrack.
During my early morning drive, I often witness minivans and buses speeding through this street on their way to pick up staff working in Musaffah and other areas of the city. Their speed — when added to the uneven twists and turns in the road that have resulted from construction work — makes driving extremely dangerous during the early hours of the day.
Recently, while driving on the fast lane, I noticed a minivan tailgating me, while maintaining a space of hardly five inches. As I was unable to switch lanes and give him way, I honked and switched on my hazard lights to indicate to him to keep a safe distance and reduce speed.
However, he seemed even more determined to follow me. At the earliest available opportunity, I changed lanes, but decided to follow him and was able to approach him when he had to stop at a parking lot to pick up passengers.
I lowered my window, and asked the speeding motorist in a mild tone, whether he realised how dangerously he was driving. Expecting anger from me, he seemed surprised by my tone and replied that he was late and had to reach his staff on time.
I then showed him and his fellow passengers a photograph of an embalming ceremony of a friend, held at a hospital in the Capital. My message was clear — if he drove the way he did, he may reach a similar end earlier than he expects.
The motorist and his passengers understood what I meant. A few hours later, when driving through the city centre, I witnessed an accident involving a minivan and a delivery boy on a motorcycle.
Through this community report, I repeat my request to all minivan and bus drivers — please drive safely, as many valuable lives are in your hand. A few minutes delay does not make a big difference to one's ongoing task. The passengers inside each vehicle must share the responsibility to warn and restrict their driver from speeding, if they find him driving dangerously. The same applies to the numerous delivery boys on motorcycles.
This is also an appeal to all transport coordinators and company authorities, as they have a role in educating their drivers to start a few minutes early and urging them to strictly obey traffic rules and regulations.
Life is precious and must not be destroyed with road rage.
The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi.
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