UAE school traffic is back: The driving habits making your commute worse, experts warn

Dubai: UAE roads have become noticeably busier since schools reopened, with school runs adding to the usual peak-hour rush as families return from summer breaks and parents head back to work.

Around 47 per cent of students travel to school by private vehicle, according to the latest RTA data. While improved safety measures and awareness have helped Dubai record zero traffic fatalities at school sites since 2010, congestion remains a challenge.

Heavy traffic is inevitable at peak times, but certain driving habits can disrupt traffic flow, create bottlenecks and make delays worse, even on alternative routes.

During the school run, congestion is often intensified not only by the number of vehicles on the road, but also by everyday driving behaviours, according to Dr Suzanne Accetta, CEO of First Driving Centre.

“Sudden lane changes, last-minute merging, unnecessary braking, using mobile phones while driving, blocking junctions, and stopping or double-parking near school entrances can quickly disrupt the flow of traffic,” Accetta told Gulf News.

Another common issue is motorists trying to save a few minutes by frequently changing lanes or pushing into queues. “In heavy traffic, this rarely saves meaningful time and can instead create a ripple effect of braking that slows everyone behind,” Accetta said.

Around schools in particular, patience and anticipation are extremely important. “Drivers should plan their journey with additional time, maintain safe distances, follow designated drop-off areas, avoid blocking access points, and remain alert for children, school buses and pedestrians,” she said.

Accetta noted that good driving is not simply about controlling a vehicle; it is also about understanding how individual decisions affect everyone else on the road. “Small improvements in driver behaviour, when adopted collectively, can make the school run safer, smoother and less stressful for the entire community,” she added.

The driving behaviours that contribute most to congestion are often not dramatic, but small habits that motorists may not realise are causing problems, according to Jaber Al Harbi, Managing Director of Bin Yaber Driving Institute.

“Stopping inside a yellow box junction blocks the entire intersection when the light changes, it's one of the most common causes of gridlock near schools in the morning. Double-parking for a quick drop-off forces moving traffic into a single lane and creates a bottleneck that takes 10 minutes to clear after one car leaves,” Al Harbi noted.

He also highlighted two common issues at traffic lights that many drivers may overlook.

“Leaving three or four car-lengths of empty space in a queue means fewer cars clear the junction on each green phase, the driver thinks they're being cautious, but they're extending the wait for everyone behind them. And a driver who looks down at their phone for two seconds at a green light delays every car behind them,” he explained.

“Multiply that across a dozen lights on a school-run route and you add meaningful minutes to everyone's journey,” he added.

Thomas Edelmann, Founder and Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE, said the first week back at school can be stressful for motorists, but parents should remember that their children are watching and learning from their behaviour behind the wheel.

“Children mirror our behavior, we follow the role model approach and understand our children are watching us while driving, that will force parents to be more relaxed and calmer while driving,” he said.

Edelmann said parents should allow extra time for the journey, even when the distance between home and school is relatively short. A journey that would normally take 20 minutes, for example, may require motorists to leave 40 to 45 minutes earlier because of traffic.

“There are a lot of things to focus on when driving near schools – students crossing the roads, buses stopping and also trying to pay attention to your kids in the car. It can get overwhelming, so any irritated or aggressive behaviour can impact your children and your driving,” he said.

Not every traffic jam is caused by an accident, roadworks or a high number of vehicles. Even when motorists follow the rules, traffic can slow or stop without any visible cause.

“This is known as phantom traffic, which is a sudden slowdown or stop on a road that happens without any obvious cause like an accident or roadwork,” Edelmann explained.

He cited a 2008 study in Japan, where researchers found that traffic could form even when cars drove in a loop at a constant 30 km/h, with plenty of room to maintain a safe following distance. There were no lane changes, signage, construction or obstacles.

“Yet within about a minute, a traffic jam formed. The research team found that it only takes one driver going slightly too slow, or getting nervous about their following distance and giving the brakes the tiniest tap.”

That small change ripples through the line, with each driver braking slightly harder until those at the back are forced to slow to a near-stop or stop completely.

Al Harbi highlighted several rules for parents during school pick-ups and drop-offs:

Ultimately, congestion is not always caused by the number of cars on the road, with individual driving behaviours and small disruptions also capable of contributing to delays.