Driven round the bend: the problem with UAE drivers

With almost one in three drivers having an accident (minor to major) in any given year, bad driving in Dubai is as much the norm as high temperatures. In an effort to curtail this, every year Dubai Traffic Police releases a report that highlights some of the emirate’s top offenders, with collective fines reaching hundreds of thousands of dirhams. 

Last year, an Emirati man topped the list with 477 traffic offences and total fines of Dh280,000. A male Syrian driver came second with 288 offences followed by a Bangladeshi woman driver with 257 offences. Such cases may sit at the extreme end of the scale but, as GN Focus discovered in talks with road users and experts, there are several reasons why Dubai drivers have such a bad record — and plenty can be done about it. 

It’s complicated…

Arif Al Malik, Director of the Drivers’ Training and Qualification Department at RTA, says road safety is a complex and dynamic issue. “It is influenced by several factors, which includes childhood experiences, exposure to (or lack of) a traffic environment, culture, beliefs, education, enforcement, etc.”

Of particular relevance to Dubai is its constantly shifting population of drivers (as jobs come and go), meaning the driving culture lacks maturity. Its status as an expat hub also means Dubai has a younger overall demographic than most places.

“Younger people are somewhat less experienced than older people and psychologically are more liable to make a poor judgement call whilst driving,” says Robert Hodges, Road Safety Expert and Chief Operating Officer of The Emirates Driving Institute (EDI). “Dubai has a great deal of wealth too, which allows many of its population, among them these inexperienced young drivers, to buy top-end luxury and performance vehicles. The UAE also has a higher proportion of new drivers across a wide age spectrum, and the likelihood of these drivers having an accident [in] their first 18 months of driving is quite high.” 

But many drivers often struggle to pass their driving tests in the UAE. Jithesh K. Narayanan, a Indian who works as an art director in Dubai, tells GN Focus he spent several traumatic months attempting to get his licence: he has taken the test four times and hasn’t yet passed. “It’s very difficult to get the licence if the instructor is in a bad mood. Unfortunately, this is often the case and I feel that overall their attitudes and professionalism could be improved.” 

On the other hand, Hodges feels drivers don’t spend enough time on the road. “Instruction time is less here.” He has been campaigning to increase mandatory driving hours to between 35 and 55. “In many other countries, you can drive with a licensed driver of a certain age to clock up extra hours and experience. A young person may have done up to 150 hours actual driving in real road conditions before their test, providing valuable hands-on experience, which lessens the risk of accident.” In fact, he adds, for many Dubai drivers the road test is the first time they have driven a car without an instructor. 

Drivers at some schools, such as EDI, get to practice in a solo yard observed by multiple video cameras, and the school is able to override the car in an emergency. 

Licence, not lessons

“But the majority of people who come through our door don’t want lessons; they want a licence, and there’s a big difference,” Hodges explains. “We want safe drivers so we stick to a proper curriculum all the way through.”

He feels the RTA road test is not as objective or fair as it could be. “One solution would be to raise the time spent with the examiner to an hour, of which 40 minutes is driving,” he says. “In Dubai, a student shares a car with three others and the examiner, and each gets a mini test that is probably about two minutes of time. If RTA raised the standard, all schools would have to raise their standards.”

By and large, however, Hodges agrees with the general notion that nearly everyone in Dubai drives in too risky a manner. “People in this region just cannot get used to the fact that driving requires 100 per cent concentration. They eat, drink, take calls, check their social media, fiddle with their sound or navigation system, put on make-up or get distracted by kids in the back. Many people still don’t use child safety seats or wear seat belts, despite the fact that doing so increases your chances of survival in an accident by 53 per cent. 

“Swerving between lanes too quickly and without mirror-checks or indicators has the number one cause of accidents in Dubai for the past 5 years. Tailgating, skipping lanes to make an exit at the last minute, and failing to scan the environment continuously are also all common issues.”

As for mobile phones, even taking a legal call (with a hands-free kit) makes you 3.5-four times more likely to have an accident. When using a phone in your hand you are 22 times more likely to have an accident. And in Dubai, you are six times more likely to die in an accident because of the speed at which most people travel. 

Initiatives and ideas

But does Hodges put his money where his mouth is? EDI has started more than 30 initiatives, most of which have been adopted by the RTA and federal authorities. “We are consistently researching ways to produce safer drivers,” he says.

In order to ensure more fair and objective driving tests, Narayanan believes that stricter enforcement (and monitoring) of examiners is necessary. “Only highly professional instructors should be appointed to conduct the test.”

Malik believes there are several ways in which the RTA and driving institutes can engage and contribute to different initiatives that will improve driver training and enhance drivers’ behavioural skills. These include educational outreach and awareness programmes that are comprehensive and age-appropriate, even targeting those already working but not licensed. For example, school driver programmes for students that develop road safety knowledge, skills and understanding, while also targeting attitudes and behaviors. 

“We need to go beyond driver training to focus on proactive training and retraining of driver behaviours and attitudes,” Malik says. 

“Because when a driver takes to the actual road, his/her actions are mainly influenced by behaviours and mindset, rather than skills learnt.” 

Meanwhile, one of the main recommendations to come from Dubai citizens after a series of majlis in Ramadan last year was that offenders should also be penalised with community service instead of only fined. 

Perhaps that might help drivers develop a sense of empathy for other road users.

WHITE POINTS SYSTEM

Model drivers in the UAE who do not commit a single traffic offence in any of the emirates over a year, and have collected 24 white points, can win grand prizes such as a brand-new car, gift vouchers or exemption from traffic fines.

Launched in 2012, the system lets motorists earn up to 24 points over a year. To qualify, drivers must not commit any traffic violations such as speeding, driving through Salik without credit or be issued traffic tickets.