Almost four fifths of UAE motorists believe that there are more reckless drivers on the roads of the Emirates today than there were five years ago.
A study conducted by Zurich and RoadSafetyUAE.com also found that 35% of respondents had been involved in a collision of some kind, with men (38%) far more likely than women (27%) to have had an accident.
“The number of UAE residents that have been involved in a traffic collision is very concerning, and unfortunately, this supports the belief that there are more reckless drivers on UAE roads than five years ago,” said Brian Reilly, CEO of Zurich Insurance Middle East.
“What is particularly worrying is the high proportion of young drivers who have had an accident despite the short timeframe they have been behind the wheel,” he added.
Indeed, the researchers, who quizzed 1,007 UAE motorists about their driving habits, discovered that young motorists were more likely to have been involved in a collision than their more experienced counterparts. Despite only being behind the wheel for a maximum of six years, 36% of young drivers aged 18 to 24 reported that they had already had an accident in the Emirates.
More than two thirds (68%) of respondents believe that the biggest cause of road accidents in the UAE is speeding, with tailgating (56%) coming in second, and distracted drivers (47%) in third. Speeding has been proven to increase both the risk and intensity of a road accident, yet only half of young drivers are convinced that it’s a major contributing factor.
“Both speed and tailgating are verified causes of road accidents and we would encourage all road users to drive at a suitable speed and maintain a safe distance from others,” Reilly concluded.
In the first eight months of 2014, there were 3,170 accidents on UAE roads, which resulted in 4,602 injuries and 463 deaths, according to Ministry of Interior data.
