Recently, I decided to take my daughters — aged three and six — for a ride on the abra, which I had taken on previous occasions and found interesting and pleasant.
I was looking forward to the joy ride as it was the first time that I took them on the abra. Once on board, we were informed that there are no charges for the children, which was surprising as nowadays nothing is really free.
As soon as the abra moved away from the station, I found myself very anxious, as I realised that my children were not wearing any life jackets.
In the case of an unfortunate accident, I would not be in a situation to help them.
Moreover, looking closely at the safety equipment on board the abra, I found that there were only two floats.
The 10-minute ride from Deira to Bur Dubai turned into an ordeal for me and I decided then that I would highlight the issue of child safety through Gulf News.
I strongly suggest that immediate steps are taken by the concerned authorities to ensure that children travelling on the abras are not allowed to board without at least a safety vest.
I am sure that in order to ensure safety, parents would not mind paying a cost of Dh1 per trip for children which could cover the cost of the safety equipment.
— The reader is a senior compliance manager in a bank, in Dubai
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