Job Discussion Forums

[Noor]

As a first step not requiring the writing of any new laws, perhaps the police should enforce the speed limit on Emiratis, who seem to be the more dangerous drivers. It may only be urban legend, but I hear many Emiratis are able through a family connection in the police force to have fines waived.



Expats may face driving tests

The National
Haneen Dajani and Matthew Chung
Last Updated: October 15. 2009 1:52PM UAE / October 15. 2009 9:52AM GMT

ABU DHABI // Expatriates from places such as the UK, Canada and Australia would need to pass new tests before receiving their UAE driving licences, under proposals to improve road safety tabled yesterday.

Taxi drivers would be required to have at least two years of driving experience in the UAE before being allowed to work. Other major reforms suggested by a UK consultancy hired by the federal Government included requiring drivers to be at least 20 years old before they can operate some kinds of heavy vehicles and for all new drivers to undergo 30 training sessions.

The proposals, aimed at unifying licensing, training and testing procedures across the country, were debated at a session attended by representatives from the consultancy, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), as well as public and private transport officials.

The TRL representatives said the proposals reflected international best practices, but some met with immediate resistance.

The suggestion that taxi drivers should have 24 months of motoring experience here before working in the UAE, for instance, did not sit well with taxi officials.

�This is not practical. We already have a shortage of drivers. We need 50 per cent more drivers every year than we already have,� said Masood Hashem, the director of compliance, regulation and licensing at TransAD, the Abu Dhabi taxi regulator. �The sector would die, and the salaries of taxi drivers will double.� He said higher standards were important, but should be balanced against the availability of qualified drivers.


TRL�s Britta Lang emphasised that the recommendations were still in the consultation stage.

Proposals that did not have support of the people affected such as the taxi recommendation, or another that would allow new drivers to learn from someone other than a licensed instructor would not be forced upon them.

�Where maybe it is international best practice, the road network here may not allow it to be done in a sensible way,� she said.

The recommendations were debated over several hours yesterday, as a group of transport and traffic officials, representatives of public transport companies and training experts from the seven emirates worked towards toughening the licensing system.

TRL will send out detailed questionnaires next week, Ms Lang said, and based on feedback, the proposals would be revised.

A final report will be presented by the end of this year to Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Minister of Interior, said Col Gaith al Zaabi, the director of traffic for the ministry.

It was suggested that expatriates from countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia, who, if they already hold a driving licence, are currently exempt from passing the UAE driving test, should be required to take a theoretical and practical test before receiving their UAE licence.

�The knowledge of local road safety requirements is quite incompetent,� Ms Lang said. �Many people don�t know the road signs and are not aware of the safety requirements.�

TRL recommended the minimum age for obtaining a licence for heavy motorcycles or public transport vehicles should be 20 years old.

�Increasing the minimum age for licences has proved effective in reducing accidents,� Ms Lang said.

She said that many countries had graduated licensing schemes for young people because they tended to be involved in more traffic crashes.

A 2004 Scandinavian study found that increasing the minimum age from 16 to 17 reduced new drivers� accidents by 10 per cent, while increasing it from 20 to 21 did so by five per cent.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091015/NATIONAL/710149834

[BrownSauce]

That's a liberty, when most crashes are caused by impatient Emiratis or illiterate and uneducated Bangladeshis!

I'd say that all locals and other third-worlders should be given a 'preliminary' licence upon passing the test, one which limits them to a 1.5 litre vehicle car and 100 kph for a year. Only if they manage to get through the year without causing any offence or getting a fine should they be given a full licence.

But, of course, we all know that this is pie-in-the-sky stuff. Nothing will change in substance, even if the rules are tightened up.

[helenl]

And Ms Lang seems to be unaware that you have to be 18 in order to get a license in the Emirates; that Ozzies' employers usually try to get them a Dubai resident permit rather than a Sharjah one, because in Sharjah Ozzies do have to take the test as a result of a dustup between a Sheikling and an Australian policeman on who was allowed to do what on highways in Australia in terms of speed and driving style.

Nor does she seem to be aware that there are literally dozens (if not hundreds) of young (barely teenagers) unlicensed, uninsured Emiratis on the roads currently - and the government is worried about the expats where there are laws that most of us follow because they keep us and our loved ones safe.

I had to laugh when I saw the term "..and training experts from the seven emirates" Goodness, how many of us see these so called experts with pieces of newspaper or magazines shading them as they doze in the passenger seat next to the student driver - they're a joke at best, adding to the road carnage at worst.

[adorabilly]

Noor.

Your opening statement is a bit of urban legend, but it also is at least partially true.

Depending on the last name of the Emirati in question, fines have been waived, mysteriously not entered or just generally ignored.

As helen1 points out, it isn't just fines that are often not placed on Emirati drivers. You also have the hundreds/thousands of under age, uninsured Emirati drivers.

These folks cause literally TONS of accidents. And usually the expat is blamed, no police report is given (which gives the young underage uninsured emirati time to get all of those forms filled out, submitted and backdated which I have seen happen 2x now)

[Noor]

According to the RAK Police in this article, 6% of last year's accidents were caused by unlicensed youth, though its not clear if this is nationwide, or in RAK only.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091009/NATIONAL/710089838/1021

A breathless piece from today's Gulf News informs the public that a war is being waged to "root out the phenomenal driving of the young and unlicensed drivers."

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traffic-transport/rak-cracks-down-on-driving-without-licence-1.515287

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Noor...welcome to the Gulf...

NCTBA

[veiledsentiments]

I'm still trying to figure out why US drivers were not included on the list. An interesting statistic would be to see how many accidents or incidents have been caused by UK, OZ, CA (and presumably US) drivers. I suspect it is an infinitesimal percentage even if all four were added up. Certainly fewer than those caused by under-aged drivers countrywide.

And is there anyone who ever thought that the majority of locals were paying their fines and tickets or even getting any? ROFLMAO...

VS

[helenl]

Ask anyone who teaches in any of the men's colleges at HCT - they are often informed by students who work in the police department "oh teacher, I saw your name/number plate - I delete for you teacher" beaming with pride as they say it.

[Double Cheeseburger]

The requirements to do tests and exemtpions for tests are negotiated at the foreign ministry level in recirpocal agreements.


Local traffic departments have nothing to do with it, unless they can convince the foreign ministry to change the policy or renegotiate existing agreements.

What I'm trying to say is: there's no need to worry.

[Noor]

.

...police estimate that 85 cars driven by underage drivers have been confiscated since the programme began.

�We have patrols all over Ras al Khaimah,� said Col Nasser Muradad, the director of the RAK Traffic and Licensing Department.

�Now we are looking at where the problem is coming from, and the problem is coming from the family, not the young people.�


More on underage driving:
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091025/NATIONAL/710249870/1010

.

[veiledsentiments]

[celticbutterfly]

Are they completely INSANE?? If the driving wasn't bad enough, now they want to lower the legal driving age for the precious locals...
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traffic-transport/traffic-chief-wants-driving-age-set-at-16-1.518831

[veiledsentiments]

I doubt that it would make much difference. I found that the adult males from the illegal 13 year olds up to the grandfathers to be equally reckless and aggressive. They ALL drive like 16-22 year old males in the Western cultures.

It's all talk and they will continue to talk... and write more laws... and nothing will change because they won't enforce them any better than the laws currently on the books. They already drive under 18 without a license.

VS

[hurricane]

Traffic, driving and drivers here are bad. Drive a big car with a big engine so that you can accelerate out of a tight spot or take the licking and keep on ticking when it comes your turn to be creamed.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

That's my credo...

NCTBA