Guillaume Cillié, a 27-year-old South African citizen and a quantity surveyor, has highly criticized motorists communing between Dubai and Abu Dhabi as a matter of fact he was daily making around 250 kilometers trip for three month long.
“Nobody is keeping a safe following distance. A driver is travelling on the fast lane when suddenly another driver swerves to the left lane and goes back again,” Cillié said.
According to what he witnessed, he said that ‘speed’ was a minor factor in traffic crashes.
“Police across the world have got one thing in mind as part of road safety – speeding is a major risk factor,” he said.
“But it is irresponsible behavior that causes accidents. I heard over the radio the other day that they were asking motorists to check the conditions of their tires.”
Colonel Hamad Nasser Al Balushi, Head of the Peripheral Areas Traffic Department, warned motorists that faulty tires could result in a fine of up to AED200 and confiscation of the vehicle for a week.
“A tire that is not fit for use is more dangerous than me going 21kph over the speed limit and getting fined AED600,” Mr Cillié said.
It usually takes him 75 minutes from his home to his Abu Dhabi office on the Corniche.
“The road to Abu Dhabi from Dubai is one long stretch of road. What are the risks? There aren’t any,” Mr Cillié said. “Yes, speeding is risky if it’s on a Thursday afternoon and the highway is flooded with cars.”
He said he regularly saw motorists driving in the emergency lane to pass other cars.
“Everyone is in a hurry,” he said. “They are where they’re not supposed to be.”
On Wednesday, Mr Cillié spotted cars changing lanes on Muroor Road without using indicators, which he said showed a lack of courtesy and education among drivers.
“You see those cars driving past us?” he asked. “How many of them are not using indicators? How many of them are swerving?”
Traffic cameras have failed to act as an effective deterrent to speeding and dangerous driving, he said.
“The cameras are actually more of a risk,” Mr Cillié said. “When a driver sees a camera on the road, he slams on his brakes. My personal opinion on these cameras? It’s a money-making scheme. A lot of people can afford to pay the speeding [fine]. For a lot of people, Dh600 is nothing.”
Radar speed cameras are more like speed bumps, he said.
“You drive fast in between the bumps,” he said.
He believes education is essential to prevent and reduce accidents along with effective patrolling and enforcement.
“There should be a change in the attitude towards driving,” Mr Cillié said. “Being safe is a choice one has to make. Drivers don’t look, they don’t pay attention.”
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