A UAE newspaper has said that from today, there is a reason for renewed hope that traffic accident statistics in the UAE will start to show a downward trend. The new federal traffic rules to come into effect from 1st July are tougher, meaner, harsher. In fact, they are just what the errant motorists in the UAE deserve, given the litany of traffic misdemeanours released by the authorities year after year. And it is commendable that the authorities decided to wait no longer to step up the pressure on the offenders.
In an editorial on Saturday, the Gulf News said, "Just consider the vast repertoire of errant behaviour by motorists, speeding, swerving, lane indiscipline, tailgating, jumping red lights, refusing to wear seat belts, using the mobile phone while driving, blocking traffic, reckless driving... it’s a long list, which ended up as an incubator for the new law with sharper teeth.
"Let it be said one more time, the UAE government, over the decades, has spared no effort in impressing upon people the need to drive safely. There is a plethora of annual safe-driving campaigns, continual best-practices advisories for motorists, top-quality training facilities for obtaining driving licences and a world-class road infrastructure. It would seem that these privileges would be more than sufficient to inspire people to drive in a responsible manner. But if the traffic statistics are anything to go by, UAE motorists seem to look askance at them as they continue to degrade the driving standards of the country of their own volition."
The paper continued, "Take speeding, for instance. This nearly-Pavlovian driving response for many motorists in the UAE led to the Dubai Police alone issuing 16,005 tickets in the first 10 months of 2016. By any measure, this is a bafflingly large number of people who indulged in an activity that is the first violation of the driving discipline.
"The new penalties, with stiffer fines and unforgiving black points, are re-addressing all the critical areas of road safety, including new ones such as the welcome addition of mandatory seat belt usage in the rear seats too. Failing to wear seat belts in the car will attract AED400 fine and four black points for the driver. Divesting every single driver of AED800 and slapping her or him with four black points each time she or he drives and talks on the mobile phone will be a wonder cure for this malaise."
"The law is in place, but what will truly make a difference is when it is meticulously, rigorously, uncompromisingly, implemented. There is only one way forward, zero tolerance," concluded the Dubai-based daily.

Source: WAM