Readers debate the best way to make roads safer for cars and people. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
Readers debate the best way to make roads safer for cars and people. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

Road safety can be achieved with better laws



I am writing about road safety because of your report about speeding accidents (Eighteen killed in speeding accidents between January and November in Dubai, December 15). It is not the speeding that the report describes that kills.

It is that cars drive at different speeds and move between the dotted lines on the roads. When you add cars driving fast with cars that drive very slow such as mini vans and small lorries you get a lethal combination on the roads that must be addressed.

Casper Morgenstern, Dubai

Some objective reporting would help rather than just accepting the statistics that things are improving on the roads. For example, why is there still no law requiring children to be buckled in? Why are lorries that are overladen and spitting out black soot allowed on the road?

Dean Brooks, Dubai

To fix this problem there must be more undercover patrols on the roads. They do this sometimes in Abu Dhabi and they should do it more. Also there should be point-to-point radars to calculate average speed to kill off those who drive very fast between radar checkpoints.

Gianmaria Vidale, Abu Dhabi

We need more police presence on the roads and enforcement of rules along with harsh punishments such as fines depending on the salary of the offender. This way the fines will act as a deterrent. For repeat offenders, there should be even bigger penalties such as jail time.

Wiltrud Matthes, Dubai

We all see dangerous driving on the roads on a daily basis. The way to stop it is for people to break the habit of tailgating and start using their mirrors and indicators along with learning road manners as well as using seat belts in the front and back.

Debbie McEwan, Dubai

A miracle birth in London

I am writing about the great news from London that an Emirati woman has given an incredible birth (Emirati woman gives birth in London after having ovary frozen as a child, December 14). I am very happy for the family.

We need the fertility laws to be updated so that embryos can be frozen here.

There are many couples who require fertility treatment similar to what would have happened in this procedure. Inshallah it will happen soon.

Aiysha Hurley, Abu Dhabi

Beyond impressive and kudos to the amazing mum for making the lifetime decision when she was a child.

Sheren Abbas, Abu Dhabi

Mobile data is still a headache

I am writing about an issue on many people's minds: the cost of mobile data (High-cost mobile wireless is a shared cultural issue, December 14).

The costs are expensive here. It’s worse in Lebanon. My in-laws pay much more for less. South Africa has improved vastly but has a little way to go.

Using a British SIM card I was able to travel with a full data package through Europe for less than what I pay here. Prague was easiest as almost every cafe and restaurant had free Wi-Fi.

Daniella How, Dubai

Everyone is complaining about costs but at the end nothing will change. Since VPNs, FaceTime and all other ways of communication are blocked, data companies are in control.

Cem Sabri, Abu Dhabi

Feedback doesn’t matter. When there is no choice in the market, the consumer can do little.

Karl Pais, Dubai

Women’s role in religious debate

I have several points with regard to Shelina Zahra Janmohamed's thoughtful column this week concerning the role of women in religious debates (Who says you can't be a Muslim and a feminist? December 15).

I don’t doubt that one can be a Muslim feminist.

The question is whether one can be an Islamic feminist.

Or indeed, a feminist within the ideological context of any Abrahamic religion, without engaging in extreme cherry-picking or semantic gymnastics.

Sohan Dsouza, Abu Dhabi