Children can rent or purchase quad bikes that go as fast as 140km because sales in Dubai are unregulated. Also no licence is required to drive the vehicle.
Boys and teenagers can be seen riding the four-wheeled motorcycles on Jumeirah Beach Road, University City Road near Mirdiff and on the Dubai-Hatta Road. They sometimes travel in packs, taking up a traffic lane.
Three enthusiasts said some riders on University City Road even drive on the wrong side of the street.
Some motorists do not see the quad bikes until the last minute, and must swerve to avoid hitting them. They sometimes are going so slow that they force drivers to slam on their breaks to prevent an accident.
Traffic sources have told Gulf News that riding quad bikes on the city's roads is forbidden. Riders must also wear helmets.
In late October, traffic police said they confiscated 72 quad bikes in a campaign to punish reckless drivers. Most bikes were not returned to the owners.
A source at Dubai police's traffic department said confiscations are continuing.
He said police action against those driving on public roads was being hampered by the ease with which they are able to buy the bikes.
"We confiscate the bikes and they go buy another."
In Dubai no licence is needed to ride a quad bike nor is the quad bike registered at the Dubai Police traffic department. No legal records are kept on quad bike owners or riders using public roads.
The legal gap means police cannot fine offenders.
"Legally, it is out of our hands, because we don't have any details of the bike, because it's not registered or because the person does not need a licence," the traffic source said.
The only measure police can take is to impound quad bikes on the roads "because we do have jurisdiction over who can be on the road".
Quad bikes are sold at relatively cheap prices. Quad-bike showrooms carry an array of bikes. Some carry warnings not to be ridden by children younger than 16.
Prices in one showroom for a Japanese-made bike ranged from Dh11,000 to Dh25,000. A salesman said Chinese bikes were even cheaper.
Some quad bikes are small and recommended for first-time users, with a maximum speed of 40km per hour. The salesman showed other popular models that can reach speeds of 140km/h.
The showroom also offers a quick training session on how to ride a quad bike.
Portable quad bike rental shops line University City Road in Warqa'a. They offer small quad bikes for Dh50 an hour, reaching about Dh150 an hour for large quads.
Only one outlet offered helmets and that was only when one was requested.
One shop owner laughed when a Gulf News reporter asked for a helmet. "Sand soft, why helmet?"
Similar shops line the dunes alongside the Hatta-Oman Road. H., one quad-bike rider, said if safety precautions are followed, "quad biking is safe".
He said the bad reputation quad bikers have is not deserved. He said the industry needed to be regulated and controlled. "Police, parents and rental shops need to get involved."
He said problems in residential areas were caused because "quad bike riders have nowhere else to go".
"The Mirdiff area is the best place to ride, but we don't have anywhere we can legally go."
Although there are no special places for quad bikes, rental shops are set up on main roads near known quad-bike riding areas.
H. said accidents had been caused when children rented bikes too big and powerful for them.
"If you look at a quad bike, it lists the minimum age for a rider. But rental places don't care, as long as they make money. They don't provide safety gear. I think authorities should put controls based on age and safety."
H. said accidents are happening all the time. "At least once or twice a day, an ambulance has to come because some kid has broken a bone."
"They should put police and an ambulance there to ensure the situation is under control, that traffic isn't held up and things are safe."
Saoud, another rider, said accidents were happening when inexperienced "mostly youngsters" drove large quads.
He does not think regulations should be imposed. "Some kids like big quads, how are you going to stop them? It's a matter of experience."
H. said relations between riders and the police were "tense".
Ahmad, another rider, said: "Police are only clamping down on riders going on the roads, and they deserve it. On Thursdays and Fridays, you can see some riders going the wrong way up the highway to get to other dunes."
H. called for regulations for the quad-bike industry before police introduced more campaigns.
"If you put in place some basic laws giving us an area, supervising it with police and ambulances, making sure rent shops provide safety equipment and have height and age requirements for children then charge people breaking the law."
"The fun of quad riding is to do it anywhere you like."
Gulf News was unable to obtain a response from Rashidiya police station, which is the authority closest to the Mirdiff areas where the riders go.
Gulf News
