Greater emphasis on safety required

The Chief of the Dubai Police traffic department is proposing that the legal age for driving for Emiratis be lowered to 16 years from the current age of 18.

The proposal is sound, and should be given full consideration and approval, as age in itself should not be an impediment to driving: The legal age for driving at 16 is commonplace around the world. Indeed, statistical analysis of road accidents reveal those in the 25-35 year category are mostly involved.

But while the proposal deserves approval, it must be combined with greater measures to ensure safety on the roads of the UAE.

The road infrastructure has been greatly improved; no longer can poor driving surfaces be blamed for the alarming traffic fatalities.

The medians of roads are festooned with hundreds of cameras, all primed and aimed at those who continue to speed. The fines paid and black points accumulated by drivers show that these mechanisms work and are a general deterrent to those with a heavy foot.

Lowering the legal age for driving must coincide with a determined and concerted effort to identify and prosecute those who continually break the rules of the road without regard for the safety of all. Age alone is not an indicator of common sense.