74% of UAE road users are either drivers or passengers in private cars, new survey finds

Dubai: Private cars represent the huge majority of people on UAE roads, accounting for almost three in four people, suggests the first ever ‘UAE Car Occupancy Study’, released on Sunday.

The survey, held in March with a UAE representative sample of 1,005 respondents, said private cars represent 74 per cent of road users (54 per cent of them as drivers and 20 per cent as passengers). Conducted by RoadSafetyUAE and Noor Takaful | Ethical Insurance, the survey also showed a low dependency on public transport, with only 22 per cent of people of using a bus, metro, taxi, limousine, van or minibus.

The study explored who prefers driving vs being a passenger, and how often, as well as why trips happen and whether drivers and passengers travel alone or with others. During work days, 54 per cent drive themselves, 29 per cent are passengers, 13 per cent use public transportation (metro and bus), and four per cent use alternative means (walking, bicycle, scooter).

Rawdha AlSakit, head of marketing for Noor Takaful, said: “We found that a majority, specifically 54 per cent, drive themselves. 67 per cent of these drivers drive to and from work, which explains the traffic congestion at peak commute times. We are publishing these figures now so that we can prepare initiatives, backed by important data, to improve safety on UAE roads.”