Dubai traffic cop reveals that one in four deaths on Dubai’s roads is the result of drivers changing lanes suddenly without indicating – and the toll is rising.
As he launched a campaign yesterday urging drivers in the emirate to use their indicators, the head of Dubai Traffic Police reveals this message.
General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen said the majority of motorists do not signal when changing lanes – a careless act that costs 41 lives last year.
Al Zafeen added: “Motorists must use their indicators when they move to the right or left. The majority of Dubai drivers are not using indicators. “We need to change this and to have more people using indicator lights to save lives on roads.”
He added: “Many young drivers are not using indicators and when you ask them they claim indicators are only for old people.” Statistics indicate that Last year’s death toll of 41 people from accidents in which drivers changed lanes suddenly accounted for a quarter of deaths on Dubai’s roads and was nearly twice the figure recorded for 2012.
Al Zafeen said also that the problem was rooted in culture.“Western drivers always use indicators while changing lanes as this is part of their culture. We need to have more motorists doing that as we look for zero deaths in 2020,” he said.
Al Zafeen also acknowledged the punishment for drivers caught not using their indicators needs to be tougher. The current penalty if caught not using your indicator is a fine of Dhs200 and four black points.
Police will carry out a week-long awareness campaign to control this huge problem, in addition to distributing leaflets and hosting talks.
“There is a study taking place on traffic law and this must be changed in my opinion,” said Al Zafeen. The indicator-awareness campaign was welcomed by regular road users. One Dubai taxi driver said: “This has been the problem since I started driving a taxi seven years ago and is increasing now as the roads get busier.”
General recommendations:
*Using indicators helps lots of people including drivers of cars, vans, emergency service vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and anyone else that happens to notice them. Also traffic would flow better without stop starting.
* Use indicators in good time, giving other road users plenty of time to react and adapt to your signal. Once you have completed the maneuver, make sure the indicator has cancelled otherwise you may confuse other road users.
