Lesson From Abroad: 3 Behaviours To Improve Road Safety In 2016

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Sunday, January 3rd 2016 [ME NewsWire]A road accident scene

3 behaviour improvements of UAE’s motorists can tackle most of the top killers on our roads

‘Time Management’ would cure many problems caused by ‘running late’

‘Road Etiquette & Politeness’ would address many aspects of reckless behaviour

‘Fasten Seat Belts’ would avoid most of UAE’s fatalities among motorists and passengers

Coinciding with RoadSafetyUAE’s 2nd anniversary on January 1st, Thomas Edelmann, Founder and Managing Director announces his 3 wishes for UAE’s road safety for 2016.

“From various data points we collected in the last 2 years since we launched our road safety platform, we want to single out three behavioural changes which would dramatically improve UAE’s road safety and the human toll we pay. We want to focus on ‘Time  Management’,‘Road Etiquette & Politeness’ and ‘Fasten Seat Belts’”, Edelmann states.

Poor time management of UAE’s motorists often leads to ‘running late’, whereby lost time is tried to be regained while driving. This can lead to misbehaviour in the form of speeding, jumping queues and red lights, lane swerving, tailgating and bullying other traffic participants. Edelmann explains: “A 2015 YouGov survey revealed, that 67% of UAE motorists claim ‘running late’ as being the root cause for their speeding. Hence, we have to call on motorists to start applying proper time management, for example by starting every road trip 10 minutes early. This would reduce the stress levels and the safety for the motorist, but also the safety of their passengers and those of surrounding fellow road traffic participants.”

Many state egoistic and reckless behaviour of other road traffic participants as a main contributor to accidents and near misses. In a related YouGov study published by RoadSafetyUAE in 2015, 53% of motorists stated roads have become more dangerous, 66% experienced more speeding, and 65% experienced more tailgating. “Road etiquette and politeness play a pivotal role – motorists must treat others like they want to be treated, in the same respectful and polite manner! We have to care for each other and we must show this in our road behaviour. Even if we are running late or end up in other stressful situations, good manners and a caring attitude for others must prevail!”, Edelmann adds.

In the event of accidents, the best way to avoid injuries or fatalities is to use seatbelts. “45-60% of fatalities and injuries can be prevented by the use of seatbelts, but many UAE motorists turn a blind eye to those well know facts. Our mantra must be: ‘No belt, no start!’ – for everyone in our vehicle! Even children without proper restraint systems can be observed on a daily basis, and this must change immediately!”, underlines Edelmann. “We hope the very soon introduction of a holistic seat belt law in the UAE and its rigorous enforcement will provide the much needed boost for this vital change in behaviour“, he concludes.

RoadSafetyUAE is grateful for the strong support it receives from governmental entities, the media, more than 30 corporate supporters and individual road traffic participants. RoadSafetyUAE invites all stakeholders to echo and amplify the importance of these 3 vital topics of road safety to their respective audiences.

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