Saturday, Oct 19, 2013
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Economy may make it mandatory for car agencies to educate their customers on how to use auto cruise systems and how to deal with any malfunction, said Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy.
“Proposals were submitted to the High Committee for Consumer Protection so that car dealers educate their clients on cruise systems, how to use them correctly and how to deal with any malfunction,” Al Nuaimi said.
He added once the proposals are approved, dealers will also have to get customers’ signatures on documents which prove customers have gained complete knowledge of and training on the cruise system. “These documents will be appended to the uniform car sale contract, which is binding on all auto dealers throughout the UAE, provides protection to consumers against faulty or fake products and allows buyers to return vehicles or get compensated if it is proved to be faulty,” Al Nuaimi said.
The move is part of proposals to ensure safety of cruise control systems, which also includes a new standard for these systems, according to Al Nuaimi..
The move, he said, was prompted by a series of complaints presented to the department over failure of cruise control systems, which automatically control the speed of motor vehicles.
Al Nuaimi said that more than 176 recalls were ordered by the Ministry of Economy over the last 18 months, of which nearly 80 per cent involved car repairs.
Stressing that periodic maintenance of these cruise systems should be done without fail, Al Nuaimi said many drivers of new and older cars complained their cruise control systems quit on them all of a sudden.
“Motorists could not operate the cruise control or apply the brakes and the cars continued at top speeds, posing a real risk of causing fatal crashes,” Al Nuaimi said.
Al Nuaimi added training of motorists and proper use of these cruise systems and ways to handle any malfunction would ensure the safety of drivers, who are also advised to immediately report such problems to their car dealers and to their service centres and have them fixed.
On auto cruise safety standards which will be adopted by the UAE, Al Nuaimi said visits will be made to leading car factories to get to know the latest developments in the highly evolved versions of cruise control systems and what safety features should be met in the new standard for this crucial device.
On July 13, an Emirati woman was saved by traffic police patrols in Dubai while she was driving her car on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road. The 20-year-old woman said she lost control of the car when the cruise control failed while driving at a high speed.
The Emirati woman told the police that she went through a few minutes of horror before she could stop her car at Al Muhaisna interchange on the way to Al Warqa. It took police patrols four minutes to stop the car and rescue the woman.
By Samir Salama Associate Editor
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
