New UAE campaign reveals why some motorists break rules
But, while bad driving is killing people in terrible crashes, even when urged to stop, the authorities of Abu Dhabi on Wednesday launched an awareness campaign to prevent those disasters.
Abu Dhabi Centre for Legal and Community Awareness (Masouliya) launched the drive ‘Your Safety on the Road is Your Responsibility’ to educate motorists about the dangers of careless driving — and why some people drive with no regard for the safety of others.
Masouliya cited some of the principal causes of careless driving:
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An urge to show off
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Psychological pressure
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Boredom
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Lack of awareness of risks
Drive recklessly in all of its guises, from speeding and swerving to willfully violating traffic laws. All these extreme infractions cost lives.
The 24-year-old new bride who was killed earlier this year after being hit by a drunk driver on Emirates Road in Sharjah.
Three weeks after her wedding, Reem Ibrahim was critically injured, and her brain shattered, and died on 31 August. Her devastated family raised awareness of reckless driving and her uncle declared: ‘Reem is not the first or last victim of reckless driving.
The death is an eloquent reminder of the campaign’s call to stop more people from dying on the roads. The awareness campaign will continue through until the 31st January 2025 on the direction of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
Jail time, hefty fines
Masouliya’s movement also aims to educate the general public about the extreme legal fines for drunk driving.
As per UAE Federal Traffic Law, if you deliberately cause injury or death to someone else, you could face prison and fines. Even more severe can be the punishments in case any harm is done by such behaviour.
Traffic law, safe driving — this is not a one-man show but a nation-wide responsibility for the safety of everyone, Masouliya added. The driver is urged to drive safely, don’t get distracted, keep his/her eyes open and drive for the reasons that he/she is driving for.
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