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UAE drivers put lives at risk
Over-tinted windows are the fourth biggest cause of road accidents in the UAE, with drivers continuing to flout legal limits, police said on Saturday.
Motorists appeared to be undeterred by penalties of 10,000 dirham ($2,700) fines and the threat of confiscation of their vehicles, and routinely ignored regulations that windows must not be more than 30% darker than a clear plane of glass, a traffic support manager told UAE daily The National.
According to Haji Al Bloushi from the Abu Dhabi Traffic & Patrol Department, perceived status is a major reason for motorists over-tinting windows, with some women drivers saying they prefer to drive vehicles which can not be seen into by men.
Recent efforts to enforce regulations were beginning to have an effect, however, Al-Bloushi told The National, with police employing an electronic device to accurately read the tint on glass.
According to department statistics, speeding was the biggest cause of accidents between 2005-2007, followed by running red lights, not indicating when changing lanes, over-tinted windows, careless driving, ignoring pedestrian crossings, driving without a licence, failing to check blind spots, drink driving and not obeying the rules of the road.
According to government statistics, one person is injured on UAE's roads every two hours, with one fatality every fifteen hours.
Abu Dhabi Police said last Wednesday they aimed to cut road accidents by 20% over the next five years.
Over 1,050 people were killed in UAE road accidents last year, compared to 868 deaths in 2006.
Recent figures released by the Ministry of Interior show that there were 6,813 accidents on UAE roads during 2007, resulting in 10,526 injuries.
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Posted by Osama Rashid, Dubai, UAE on 27 April 2008 at 10:24 UAE time
Has the rule changed, but the last time I checked, expats were allowed a maximum of 30%, and non-expats were allowed more? Is there any reasoning behind this? It's obvious if you have more than 30% of tinting, you're a bigger risk on the road.
Do the math.