The bus crash that claimed the lives of seven people and left 35 others injured in Dubai on Tuesday is yet another tragedy that highlights the importance of road safety. Police said the driver lost control of the passenger bus after a tyre burst, causing it to swerve and collide with a lorry. Once again, something avoidable has caused such serious and tragic loss of life. There will be family and friends in the UAE and abroad mourning today.
Though police and road safety experts continually urge motorists to check their tyres to avoid blowouts, especially when the summer heat kicks in, it is only when such regretful incidents happen that people seem to fully realise the danger. It’s essential that owners and drivers of passenger and commercial vehicles conform to road safety requirements and ensure periodical and comprehensive maintenance of both the vehicle and the tyres, ahead of the strong heat of the summer.
The authorities have repeatedly warned motorists that installing low-quality or counterfeit tyres, which are the main culprits behind tyre punctures, is punishable by vehicle impoundment and a Dh200 fine. Individual responsibility is paramount when it comes to public safety, particularly that of those who are responsible for transporting so many lives.
As The National reported, 49 bus accidents have happened so far in 2017 in Dubai. This is in comparison to 133 bus accidents in 2016, which left 24 people dead and 258 injured. These numbers reflect the need to continue to work towards changing the prevailing driving culture.
Establishing measures and regulations to enforce equivalent norms on passenger buses and commercial vehicles would go a long way. So too would subjecting drivers to identical training, and enforcing similar stringent regulations on matters of safety and maintenance on vehicle owners.
Personal vehicles must be well-maintained, but commercial vehicles are under much greater stress: they are bigger, carry heavier loads and are driven longer and farther. Given the seriousness of the matter, perhaps authorities could set up spot inspections for vehicles, pulling commercial vehicles off the roads to check tyres, suspension, lights and so on. There are relatively simple solutions to these issues; in a country with so many good roads, it is foolish for people to lose their lives over the price of a new tyre.
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Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
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Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
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Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
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Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
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These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
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These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
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Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
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Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard