Fines force taxi accidents down in Abu Dhabi

SAFER RIDE: Accidents in Abu Dhabi involving taxis have fallen by up to 20 percent since fines for drivers were introduced.

The number of accidents involving taxis in Abu Dhabi has fallen by about 20 percent since authorities began handing out automatic fines to drivers, it was reported on Sunday.

Saeed, which began enforcing the AED500 ($140) fine in May, said the measure had reduced taxi accidents but could not provide the exact number of accidents, UAE daily The National reported.

Ibrahim Ramel, president of Saeed, estimated that the accidents caused by taxi drivers made up almost one-third of all road accidents in the capital last year.
“After the new traffic system was imposed, taxi drivers started feeling the burden of the fines, so they started driving better and following the rules,” he told the paper.

Huda al Kaabi, a senior communications officer for TransAD, the agency that oversees public transport in Abu Dhabi, said most drivers blamed passengers for their accidents.

Among the punishable offences are stopping suddenly and cutting across multiple lanes of traffic.

In August, the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai said taxi journeys were safer than they were a year ago.

There were 0.3 accidents per 1,000 trips in the first half of 2009, compared to 0.7 in the same period last year, the RTA said in a statement.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Gold and white?
Posted by john, Abu Dhabi on Sunday 18 October 2009 at 18:58 UAE time


Mounir, I agree with you on most of the things, been here a while myself and have to say in some ways im sorry to see the old nutters go. They are starting to take advantage though, I never used to haggle either, even without threats, but now its almost everyday. Its come to something when you have to threaten to take their number everytime you want a lift! As for their driving, yes they do get there faster, but ive been in 4 crashes in 10 years sitting in taxis, all their fault, and seen a lot more caused by them.

As for the 500 dhs, i havent noticed any changes in the way the drive! Still get from Khalidya to Abu Dhabi mall in 10 minutes during rush hour somehow!

Sandman
Posted by Mounir, abu dhabi, UAE on Sunday 18 October 2009 at 13:26 UAE time


I strongly, STRONGLY disagree with your description of the brown & white taxis.

1) none of them are un-metered. Every taxi in abu Dhabi has a meter and it runs. I have had some instances where the taxi wants to haggle on the price; i simply dial '999' and that shuts him up fairly quickly. Ive never had to haggle on prices, and never had to "ask" a taxi for permission to take me to a place: i sit in the back seat (or the front) and i have my cellphone ready to dial 999 if the taxi shows any objection to my destination or form of payment.

2) some of the brown and white taxies are old, but so what? ur not travelling to dubai in them; abu dhabi is a fairly small island; ive been taking taxis here since ive been born 26 years ago and never got into a cab that broke down while taking me somewhere. plus, most of the brown & white cabs are actually 5-10 years old, thats not really old at all for a cab.

3) dangerous? i would MUCH rather be in a cab driven by a person who KNOWS how to drive and knows the streets of abu dhabi like the back of his hand, than get into one of those newer silver ones: they cost more, and the driver - most of the time - has barely had his license for 2 years and often is new in abu dhabi and doesnt know anything in the city. What kind of taxi service is this? give me an older taxi that knows the fast routes and how the traffic patterns are over someone who needs to make a 6 point turn cause he cant make a simple U-turn.



As for the topic itself; accidents are never planned, but sometimes people are careless and cause them; 500 dirhams per incident will add up eventually.

Lucky that taxi plan is in place....
Posted by sandman, Abu Dhabi on Sunday 18 October 2009 at 10:19 UAE time


Lucky all those un-metered, old, dangerous brown & white taxis are off the road or the situation might be worse!!!
Good to see that the rules, when they finally arrive, are so strictly and throughly enforced in Abu Dhabi - the nations capital.

Accidents
Posted by EA, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday 18 October 2009 at 08:36 UAE time


Thank you Andy Sambidge for listing those facts.

Now here's an opinion:
Fines force taxis to not report accidents in Abu Dhabi
yes, there are ways around the money-grubbing excuse to get your car repaired

the roads are getting worse by the day (a little ray of hope it was to see the Sheikh Khalifa bridge open last week), and an accident is called an accident cos it is non-intentional... hence, making you pay more for it isn't gonna help you shut your kids up when they whine in the back seat, and it isn't gonna knock sense into the people that blindly cross at random non-crossing zones at night, and it definitely isn't gonna calm anyone's road rage when they stopped 5 times at the same traffic light.

If the government wanted traffic safety they should've started that Salam Street project in 2007 at the latest.
The black market for car repair is open, welcoming, and satisfying.

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