Parents key to changing attitudes about speeding

Conference speaker says education is key to address road traffic woes in the UAE.

ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi is looking to set up a volunteer organisation in a bid to reduce the number of road accidents caused by speeding, an expert has said.

“One of the suggestions I would like to push here at the conference is to establish a volunteer organisation,” Dr Essam Radwan, of the University of Central Florida, said at the International Road Traffic Accident Conference on Monday.

“You can name it ‘Parents against Speedy Drivers’. Speedy drivers here tend to be teenagers, but there are adults who also speed even though they are mature and have the driving experience.

“Speeding is a major issue here and we should commend the enforcement of the police departments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other emirates where most crashes are happening.”

A 2012 UN report said more than a million people worldwide died from road traffic injuries each year.

That figure included about 400,000 people under the age of 25. Road injuries are also the leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 24.

“What we are worried about is the younger generation. Unless it comes from home or from the parents, they won’t listen to anybody else,” said Dr Radwan, executive director at the university’s traffic systems simulations centre.

“The home is the centre of everything, so things start at home with good education and guidance from the parents.

“Education along with enforcement, speed cameras and radars will, I hope, help to better tackle the situation.”