Question: when is a speed limit not a speed limit? Answer: when, as in the UAE, the actual "maximum speed limit" above which a radar device will be activated and the driver will be penalised is 20kph higher than the number on the traffic sign. As The National reported this week, this policy has attracted the concern of road-safety experts, who say the 20kph buffer allows too much leeway. This is especially the case in urban areas where cars can travel as fast as 80kph in a 60kph zone.
Dr Akmal Abdelfatah, a civil engineering professor from Sharjah, said that the system makes it appear that we are “encouraging people to speed”. “When a driver sees a 120kph sign on the road, he or she already perceives it as 140kph and will continue driving at that speed,” Dr Abdelfatah said. He has recommended gradually reducing the buffer, first to 10kph, then 5kph, until the maximum allowable speed matches that on the sign. For urban residential areas, he suggests a speed limit of 50kph, which is significantly lower than the current allowable maximum. Although it is in line with the rules for urban areas in many other countries, it might be difficult to achieve in a country with such wide, well-engineered roads and a strong driving culture.
Yet, with speeding recognised as a factor in 87 road deaths and 559 injuries across the UAE last year, it is obvious that something must be done to get drivers to ease up on the accelerator pedal. The higher the speed, the greater the stopping distance and, therefore, the less time a driver has to respond to a potential collision. Higher speeds also mean greater impact in the case of an accident, and the greater likelihood of a fatality. The World Health Organisation estimates that the occupants of a car involved in a crash with an impact speed of 80kph are 20 times more likely to die than if the impact speed was 30kph.
Certainly, devising appropriate speed limits and enforcing them is an important part of any road-safety strategy. But there are other initiatives that could help heighten awareness and lower the road toll. In urban areas, where there are long stretches of well-made road, traffic-calming measures such as rougher surfaces and the introduction of pedestrian-activated crossings could also serve to slow traffic down. The most important thing, though, is driving home awareness that the road is a shared space where we are responsible for our own safety and the safety of others.
