Reckless driving has been a major road safety concern in the UAE in recent times. A reckless driver is someone who doesn’t follow the traffic rules and ignores road safety protocols while driving. Intentionally or unintentionally, the reckless drivers commit serious driving mistakes that can result in dangerous road situations including serious injuries or even fatalities. Reckless driving doesn’t only jeopardize the safety of motorists, but can also cause serious traffic problems such as heavy traffic jams in the UAE.
A motorist can develop a reckless driving mindset because of a number of reasons. These reasons could include stressful driving, frustration caused by traffic jams, poor driving skills of the driver or other drivers on the road and lack of awareness about road safety practices. In the UAE, where the expatriates outnumber the residents, the traffic culture is diverse, which poses a serious challenge for motorists as well as for traffic authorities to ensure road safety.
People come to the UAE from different countries for jobs, businesses and other purposes and can find it tough to adjust to the driving culture and traffic rules of the country. Their inability to rapidly adapt to the traffic culture of the UAE is a major reason behind reckless driving mistakes committed by expatriates. Other than that, most of the reckless drivers exhibit lack of respect towards obeying traffic rules because of their habitual aggressive driving behavior and poor driving habits that they don’t want to leave. For example, speeding on the highways is a major reckless driving behavior in the UAE because of the drivers who turn a highway into a racing track and cruise their vehicles at a dangerous speed, which increases the risks of run-over accidents.
Also read: Motorists Alert: Reckless Drivers to face Jail Time in the UAE
How traffic authorities in the UAE define reckless driving?
Any driving behavior that puts the safety of commuters at risk and is against the traffic rules and is considered as reckless driving by the Traffic Authorities in the UAE. Both dangerous driving and careless driving are a part of reckless driving behavior and whether intentional or unintentional, authorities have identified reckless driving as a major reason behind road fatalities in the UAE.
In order to curb the menace of reckless driving that has claimed so many lives in the UAE over last few years, the traffic authorities have now toughened their stance against the reckless drivers. The monitoring of dangerous traffic violations has been improved with the installation of advanced traffic monitoring radars and cameras across the UAE while the penalties for serious traffic violations have been increased in the recently amended traffic law to make motorists more watchful of their driving behavior.
Also read: Major Reason Behind Road Deaths in the UAE Revealed
Mindset of a Reckless Driver
Understanding the mindset of a reckless driver is important in order to deal with this serious traffic problem in an effective manner. Not all drivers are reckless by nature and while no disregard of traffic rules can be justified, understanding factors that can turn a good driver into a reckless driver is important.
Poor Time Management
The sense of urgency and poor time management skills can become a reason for reckless driving. Not allowing oneself an extra 10-15 minutes to reach a destination is something that triggers panicked driving, which can cause a reckless driving mistake. These habits, if repeated, can become a part of the driver’s mindset.
Traffic Jams induced Frustration
Frustration caused by a traffic jam is one of the major reasons behind driving mistakes that often fall into the category of reckless driving. While a traffic jam can test the patience of any driver, those who don’t allow themselves a cushion of few extra minutes to reach their destination are often the ones that make reckless driving mistakes.
Fatigue or Lack of Sleep
Not taking proper rest breaks on a long journey can also result in reckless driving, because a driver can feel drowsy, which can put road safety at a serious risk. Fatal accidents on highways are frequently a result of inattentive driving caused by driver’s fatigue and lack of sleep.
Cost of Reckless Driving Behavior
Reckless driving behavior can make motorists commit dangerous traffic violations such as over-speeding, sudden swerving, tailgating, jumping the red signal, driving on the hard shoulder, and many others. All of these traffic violations and other dangerous violations threaten the safety of other motorists and can cause fatal road accidents.
Newly Amended Traffic Law and Reckless Driving Behavior
The newly amended traffic law has introduced strict penalties for reckless driving mistakes. With increased traffic fines for reckless drivers and introduction of some new violations to curb the menace of reckless driving, authorities are trying their best to improve the road safety situation in the UAE.
Listed below is the table that highlights the most common reckless driving mistakes committed by motorists in the UAE, which can even lead to driver’s detention and cancellation of the driving license.
How to Avoid Becoming a Reckless Driver
Being aware of the traffic rules and the penalties that can be imposed on reckless drivers is of immense importance for someone who is willing to make a conscious effort to avoid becoming a reckless driver.
Here is how you can make little adjustments in your driving behavior and mindset to avoid reckless driving:
- Plan a route beforehand to avoid panicked driving.
- Learn and continue to improve your time management skills to avoid reckless driving.
- Avoid aggressive driving as it will not only improve the performance of your vehicle, but will also save you from a reckless driving mistake.
- Be considerate of others and be patient in challenging driving conditions.
- Take rest breaks to keep yourself fresh, especially on long journeys.
- Avoid distractions while driving and keep maximum attention on the road.
- Respect the traffic rules as these rules are for your own safety and well-being.
- Keep your vehicle in good condition as a vehicle that needs frequent repairs can be a constant source of frustration and panic.
- Become an informed driver and use GPS technology to remain alert of areas with high traffic congestion while planning your route.
- Listen to music, keep a comfortable temperature inside your vehicle and drink water if you are stuck in an intimidating traffic jam. It is important to keep yourself hydrated and active when stuck in a traffic jam because demanding driving conditions can easily make a driver lose their patience, which can result in dangerous driving mistakes.
To learn how to overcome the frustration of being stuck in a traffic jam situation, read our blog on 7 Ways to Beat Stress When Stuck in a Traffic Jam.
Car Safety Technologies that help minimize Reckless Driving Behavior
If you think that you are exhibiting reckless driving behavior either by being repeatedly frustrated from traffic jams or if you are finding it tough to adapt to the diverse traffic culture of the UAE and would like to improve your driving, then the following driver-assist technologies in modern-day cars can help.
- Driver Attention Assist
- Lane Keep Assist
- Intelligent Speed Assist
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Forward Collision Warning System
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Night Vision
- Head-up Display
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Remember, these technologies will only help in warning a driver when they are about to make a reckless driving mistake. For example, Lane Keep Assist will help a reckless driver by warning him to not to change the lane unless an indicator is used. Similarly, Blind Spot Monitoring technology will warn the driver when he/she needs to be cautious while changing the lane. There are other technologies such as Rear Cross Traffic Alert that can alert a reckless driver with an audible warning or vibration in the seat or/and steering wheel as warning when the driver is trying to take the car out of parking without being careful.
These technologies will help you only in improving your driving style, but there can be no alternative to a driver’s attention. It is extremely important to note that you need to be willing to consciously make an effort to change your driving behavior in order to avoid reckless driving.
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