DUBAI // Motorists have mixed reactions to Dubai Police’s proposal to cut the speed limit by 10kph.
Nearly two-thirds of the 1.2 million traffic breaches during the first seven months of this year were linked to speeding, the latest police figures show.
This has prompted the chief of traffic police to call for a reduction in the speed limit.
The maximum allowed on motorways is 120kph. Under the plans, the buffer for speed cameras would be reduced from 20kph to 10kph.
“Lowering the buffer over speed limits will lead to fewer accidents,” said Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, director of the general directorate of traffic at Dubai Police.
He said the number of bus and taxi crashes had fallen after the speed buffer for those vehicles was cut.
“Ninety per cent of traffic accidents occur because of excess speed,” he said.
But some motorists believe reducing the limit is a mere money-making scheme.
“This is a smart way for Dubai Police to make money,” said Umm Hashem, a 39-year-old businessman. “They will make a lot of money until people get used to the new limit.
“This is a bad idea. It will just result in more speeding fines, so they are just trying to make money again.
“If they want to reduce accidents they need to be stricter on who they give driving licences to. We need better drivers on the road, all reducing the speed buffer will do is annoy people.”
Others drivers support the idea, but believe more must be done to make the roads safer.
“There are just too many reckless drivers on the road these days, it is about time they reduced the speed limit,” said Noor Sayed Ali, a 30-year-old banker. “Lower speeds will reduce accidents and make them less deadly. Besides, 10kph slower will not affect your journey by much.”
“I think it is a good start,” said Samantha Harrison, a Canadian mother of two. “I don’t think it will make a big difference but it is a step in the right direction.
“Driving here can be quite scary. There are too many aggressive drivers on the road here.”
Motorists in Dubai committed 695,521 speeding offences in the first part of this year to July.
Most speeders are between the ages of 18 and 36, according to the police.
Maj Gen Al Zafeen said a similar initiative in Abu Dhabi, where the buffer on motorways was reduced to 20kph, resulted infewer speeding drivers.
malkhan@thenational.ae
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Perfect Couple
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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Apple product price list
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
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Company%20profile
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
