Nine in Ten Teenage Males Admit to Daily Tailgating;
University Study Raises Alarming Concerns for Road Safety in UAE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Young males admit to unsafe driving behaviours including tailgating, speeding, and reckless driving, according to a study into driving attitudes by The British University in Dubai (BUiD), the Middle East's leading research-based postgraduate university.
The alarming results, which saw ninety percent of the 21 surveyed admitting to tailgating on a daily basis, have led researchers to voice concerns over current and future road safety in the UAE.
Further findings showed that a majority of students reported, at least sometimes, punishing a tailgater by braking suddenly, speeding up after passing a radar, and annoying other drivers by shifting high beams.
Kamal Ben Selama, lead researcher, who is a Masters student at BUiD and a Teacher Development Specialist working for Madares Al Ghad/Ministry of Education, said: "The results show a shocking lack of awareness about the dangers of reckless driving amongst teens."
"There has been an improvement in the number of road accidents in the UAE in recent years with the implementation of speed radars, but based on the results a more stringent form of road security measures are needed to further reduce dangerous road incidents," added Ben Selama, who carried out the study as part of his university research to develop and promote good teaching practices.
The study was conducted in one public high school in Al Ain, UAE, and targeted male students with driving licenses and who drove a car every day.
The study found that more than 70 percent of respondents agreed that they often got impatient with slow drivers. A substantial proportion showed an affinity for speed with more than 80 percent having had a tendency to overtake other drivers.
In addition, more than three quarters (76 percent) admitted to receiving tickets or warnings from the police in the last 12 months for at least one traffic violation.
"Based on the study, it is evident that the students are aware of the efforts in place to help improve driving conditions in the UAE; however, although the participants acknowledge the importance of traffic safety campaigns, most of them were unable to provide slogans used to raise people's awareness about dangerous driving," added Ben Selama.
Data also showed that the participants considered speed, reckless driving, disrespect of traffic laws and signals, and the use of mobile phones as the main causes of dangerous driving.
"In general, the figures have shown that the participants are engaged in some unsafe driving behaviour. This has led them to commit a number of violations that have resulted in penalties. As important is the finding that the respondents' attitude was positive about their own driving behaviour, instead citing others' poor driving ability for accidents.
"It has been seen all over the world that often it is drivers who believe they are good drivers who are actually the ones with unsafe driving practices," concluded Ben Selama.
"The results of this investigation provide us with a means of improving current safety campaigns by showing that those that are identified within the most 'high risk' groups for driving behaviour are also those that can provide us with the greatest insight into how they receive and understand safety campaigns that are aimed at helping them," said Dr. Naz Awan, Selama's supervisor and Lecturer at BUiD.
"For me personally the most interesting part of this project was that these young men are not just passive recipients of information, they are also creative and eloquent enough to come up with ways in which safety campaigns and slogans can be altered so that their peers perceptions and attitudes towards dangerous driving behaviour are challenged."
"The present study reveals that with students very willing to discuss issues that are important to them - we could go as far as to say they are passionate and enthusiastic about talking about something that is such an important part of their lives. This research demonstrates that it could be possible to get students involved (within an educational setting) in not only talking about the issues of dangerous driving behaviour, but also as a means for them to think about driving campaign messages and slogans that may have an affect upon their peers," she added.
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About The British University in Dubai
The British University in Dubai (BUiD) is the Middle East's leading research-based postgraduate university, facilitating world-class education, training and research. It provides an important and growing community and resource for young professionals, leading academic, corporate managers and aspiring leaders of all description.
BUiD, a truly local university, is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and internationally recognised for its top quality education, which is on par with British standards thanks to its association with UK-based universities including the University of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University, King's College London, and the Cass Business School at City University, London.
BUiD offers full and part-time research based Masters Degree programmes, the regions first accredited Doctorate in Education and Continuing Professional Development courses in: Education, Finance and Banking, Human Resource Management, Information Technology, IT Management, Project Management, Systems Engineering, Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, and Sustainable Design of the Built Environment.
The non-profit university has attracted academic experts to develop regionally tailored programmes, in which they extend and challenge the boundaries of knowledge, understanding and research.
BUiD works in collaboration with leading organization and institutions including Atkins, Emirates Green Council Building, KHDA, Ministry of Education, Dubai Human Resource Forum, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ADCCI) and CIOB among others, to encourage professional development across the UAE's public and private sectors.
The founders of the University are the Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, Rolls-Royce, the British Business Group and the National Bank of Dubai. The University is governed by a Council under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
For further enquiries contact Nishath Rizwan at BUiD on +971.4.391.3626, www.buid.ac.ae
© Press Release 2010
