Why Dubai student’s roadside death is eye-opener for UAE drivers

Dubai: Naifa Balkies Hameed was dealing with a flat tyre, something any motorist can face. The 21-year-old final-year architecture student at Canadian University Dubai called her father, who, according to her uncle, advised her to contact roadside assistance. When he phoned again about five minutes later, she did not answer.

She died on November 5 after a speeding vehicle reportedly ran over her on Al Khawaneej Street in Al Rashidiya area. Her family says police told them she was standing behind her car when she was struck down.

While her family from the south Indian state of Kerala has warned against reckless driving while paying tribute to her, road safety experts say Naifa’s untimely death is an eye-opener for every UAE motorist: for those forced to stop by the roadside, and for the drivers approaching them, who must stay alert, slow down and leave space.

In case of roadside emergencies

Road safety expert Dr Mustafa Aldah, founder of Road Hero Academy, Dr Aldah said such tragedies serve as a wake-up call to educate motorists so that other families do not have to go through the same experience.

If your vehicle breaks down or you have to pull over because of a punctured or flat tyre, he said, your first priority should be to get yourself out of danger as quickly as possible.

“Never stand between your vehicle and approaching traffic,” he told Gulf News. Motorists should not turn their backs on traffic, he added, and should move behind a safety barrier if there is one.

“People often assume that the hard shoulder or the area beyond the road markings is safe. It is not. Drivers do not always respect those markings, and vehicles can enter these areas unexpectedly. Always keep an eye on approaching traffic and get away from the danger zone as quickly as possible,” he said.

Another road safety expert, Thomas Edelmann, founder of RoadSafetyUAE, also advises moving the vehicle as far from traffic as possible, taking passengers beyond the hard shoulder and even road barriers, wearing a high-visibility vest and switching on hazard lights.

A warning triangle should go at least 50 metres behind the vehicle, with extra care while placing it, he said. Then call for help and let professionals do the work.

Meanwhile, Dr Suzanne Accetta, CEO of First Driving Centre, Dubai, said drivers whose tyre bursts should stay calm, avoid sudden braking or steering and slow down gradually towards a safe spot.

They should never try to change a tyre while exposed to moving traffic. Where it is safe, occupants should exit on the side away from traffic. If not, they should call emergency services and follow their instructions.

Getting out of the car using the passenger door and standing behind the barrier, not the car, are important tips shared by the experts.

When you approach

Even so, the duty to avoid a collision rests heavily with approaching drivers.

Dr Accetta said they must stay alert, keep a safe distance, avoid mobile phone distractions and slow down near a stationary or distressed vehicle. They should also avoid sudden lane changes and give roadside emergencies enough space.

Edelmann stressed lane discipline as well: drivers should avoid driving too close to the hard shoulder and take particular care near stranded vehicles.

“It is essential to remain alert and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, especially those that have stopped on the roadside,” he said. He also urged motorists to obey speed limits.

Warning triangle

Dr Aldah shared how he dealt with his own tyre blowout recently. “My eyes were constantly on the rear-view mirror as I tried to decide what to do first: get out, put on my reflective jacket, place the warning triangle or call the authorities. I immediately contacted the police, reported the incident and shared my exact location so they could send assistance and alert other motorists.”

He urged motorists to learn where their warning triangle is and how to assemble it before an emergency. “Every driver should familiarise themselves with their vehicle before an emergency happens. Go to your car, locate the warning triangle and learn how to set it up. We need to learn to protect ourselves against other people’s mistakes as well as our own. Also, make sure to have reflective jacket in your car and wear it when you step out,” he said.

“I regularly see broken-down vehicles with fire extinguishers placed behind them instead of warning triangles. This is not an effective substitute because a fire extinguisher is not designed to provide the same visibility as a warning triangle,” said Dr Aldah.

Prevention matters too

According to Edelmann, the Ministry of Interior recorded 25 major accidents caused by burst tyres in 2025. He urges regular checks for wear, cracks and expiry dates, and inflation about every two weeks as preventive measures.

A major tyre manufacturer also advised motorists to walk around the vehicle before setting off to spot a visibly low tyre, a cut or a bulge, and to check tyre pressures regularly when the tyres are cold. If the dashboard shows a low-pressure warning, drivers should pull over somewhere safe and check the tyres as soon as possible.

A tyre that is flat, visibly damaged or keeps losing pressure after a top-up calls for a stop in a safe place and a call to roadside assistance, as driving on a flat tyre can damage its internal structure and make the vehicle harder to control. Punctures should be repaired only by a qualified tyre technician

Shared responsibility

Dr Accetta said road safety education must go beyond obtaining a driving licence. “Emergency preparedness, defensive driving and awareness of roadside hazards should be essential aspects of every motorist’s driving knowledge,” she said.

“A few seconds of caution can prevent a lifetime of regret. Road safety is a shared responsibility, and every life matters.”

For Naifa’s family, that message is personal. “If her story can make even one person think twice before driving recklessly, I hope it can prevent another family from going through the pain we are experiencing today,” her sister-in-law, Maryam, told Gulf News earlier.

A wider pattern

Multiple crashes this year have involved stationary vehicles. An accident in Dubai in June was among the deadliest road crashes recorded this year. Seven workers (six Indians and one Sri Lankan) were killed and nine injured on Emirates Road when a minibus crashed into a truck that had stopped in the middle of the road after an earlier accident.

The crash raised questions about both how the truck ended up in the middle of the road and why the minibus could not avoid it.

Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, had urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads by remaining vigilant and attentive while driving, maintaining a safe distance between vehicles, and following the correct safety procedures in the event of traffic accidents or vehicle breakdowns.

Dr Aldah said of the Emirates Road crash: “Even if the first truck had broken down or been involved in an accident, that does not mean another driver should crash into it.” Drivers, he added, often fail to notice stationary vehicles and warning lights, and he has seen cars even hit police vehicles with blue lights flashing.

Latest case

Most recently, around midnight on Monday, November 9, two people, a 28-year-old Emirati man and a 16-year-old Arab boy, were killed and two others injured when their car hit a parked truck on the Fujairah-Khor Fakkan Road. Police are investigating the cause.

Brigadier Saleh Mohammed Abdullah Al Dhahani, Director of the Traffic and Patrols Department at Fujairah Police and Head of the Traffic and Licensing Services Centre, urged drivers to slow down near parked trucks and other stationary vehicles, keep a safe distance and avoid sudden lane changes.