80% of people support driving age limit increase

More than 80 percent of people support the idea of raising the driving age limit in the UAE from 18 to 21, in a bid to make the roads safer, according to an Arabian Business poll.

A total of 44.7 percent of respondents said they thought young motorists drove too fast and did not have the road awareness of safer drivers.

A further 33.8 percent of people agreed the move would help, but said it was not just young drivers to blame for dangerous roads, and that other measures should be introduced.

Last week, the head of Dubai Traffic Prosecution, Salah Bu Farousha, called for the minimum age to obtain a driving licence in the UAE to be raised to 21.

He said that 10 out of the 120 motorists who have died so far on the country’s roads were young Emiratis – a number he called “disproportionate”.

He said at the time: “Raising the age to 21 is necessary because the motorist would be more mature. Teenagers can use public transport until they can be trusted to get behind the wheel.”

However, according to the AB poll 19.4 percent of people disagreed with increasing the driving age limit.

Some 14.3 percent of people said they thought 18 was the best age to become a legal driver, while 5.1 percent said the age limit should be lowered.

A recent report released by the World Health Organisation has shown that the UAE's roads were among the most dangerous in the world.

Last year 1,071 people died on the UAE’s road and 12,273 were injured, the report said.