Traffic chief wants driving age set at (( 16 )).....

[M_Powerholic]

Other role players supported the idea but also called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules regardless of the driving age limit.


By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporterand Ashfaq AhmedChief Reporter


Published: 00:00 October 25, 2009

The Chief of the Dubai Police traffic department has proposed that the legal age for driving be reduced to 16 years from the current 18.Image Credit: Javed Nawab, Gulf News
Dubai: The Chief of the Dubai Police traffic department has proposed that the legal age for driving be reduced to 16 years from the current 18.
Other role players supported the idea but also called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules regardless of the driving age limit.
The proposal came in a study by Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of the Traffic Department, who cited statistics indicating that roads would be safer if the younger generation were allowed behind the steering wheel.

According to the proposal, the permit for motorists between 16 and 18 would be "highly conditional".
"Reducing or increasing the legal driving age is not an important issue because safe driving comes with the implementation of effective policies to manage and control drivers," said Ahmad Behroozian, chief executive officer of the Roads and Transport Authority's Licensing Agency. He said there are several studies and proposals by officials but they need to be assessed at various levels to gauge their effectiveness before implementation.
Najla Al Awadi, a Federal National Council (FNC) member, supported the proposal, provided strict enforcement of traffic laws is ensured.
"My personal opinion is that it is not a bad idea to start teaching driving to young people from the age of 16 because the younger you start educating them about safe driving, the better it is," she told Gulf News.
She emphasised traffic rules must be implemented "one hundred per cent".
Sultan Saqr Al Suwaidi, an FNC member, said 16 is too early to get a driving licence. "We should start educating young people about road safety and driving in schools and colleges at a younger age, but the driving age should not be reduced."

Source : http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/tr...at-16-1.518831

Could something like this happen ?

[Haissam]

this was all over the radio today.. i think it's a good step :)

[Bruno]

this might work in other countries... but in UAE i doubt it will work as desired

[RAFiK]

^ True.. You'll start witnessing Nissan Patrol doing wheelies in sheikh zayed road !!

[SSense]

Sometime ago they were planning on implementing the driving rule age set at 21 and now from no where down to 16..

[petrolhead]

I think this is due to the current car market, were not many cars are being sold/bought anymore... so they want to increase the demand again...

I think they should do it something similar to what I went through in Canada (namely in Ontario, as each province is different):
At age 16, you can take the first of three tests, which is just a theory test, after passing it, you are allowed to take driving lessons only. Once 8-12 months have passed from the first test, then you can take the second test, which is a 25 min test inside the city only (it tests the basics of driving and parking). After passing this test, you are allowed to drive on your own, but some restrictions apply, but still need to take some lessons. Then the final test can be taken after another 12 months, which is 40 min which consists of city and highway testing... So basically the student would get the full license at age 18, but has done about 2 years worth of driving school/lessons which will "hopefully" make them ready to handle the roads on their own.

[Bruno]

let them teach some people how to drive first... when they get over with that let them allow these nursery kids to join

[SSense]

Exactly ! The issue is not about setting the age to drive now, its about teaching those idiots who dont know how to drive and harm other's lives.. Id say there should be a cleaning campaign, cleaning the reckless drivers off the roads..

[SHkater]

So many different news papers and news sources are saying this but it all makes no sense! there has been a rumor running for a couple of years now that the driving age would be set to 21 and a month ago gulf news confirmed it. Now they are sayin its gonna go down to 16 :dunno:. I dont think its a good step.. Teenagers arent respossible and there are enough accidents happening right now when the driving age is at 18..

[RAFiK]

trust me the right age is 21.. I drove like nuts when I was 18 & 19 !!

[Haissam]

they released statistics a couple days back & you'll be surprised that the safest age category was 18-21.. the worst were 25-29 and over 55 if i remember correctly :dunno:

[Nabil]

I drove like nuts when I was 18 & 19 !!

& 20 & 21 & 22 & 23 & 24.......53 & 54 & 56......RIP

[Afnan]

Sometime ago they were planning on implementing the driving rule age set at 21 and now from no where down to 16..

I swear man... These people r bloody confused... Driving at the age of 16... Good luck with improving the traffic problems and reducing accidents on the road...

[Ayham]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8520/4.6.1.272 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/212)

they released statistics a couple days back & you'll be surprised that the safest age category was 18-21.. the worst were 25-29 and over 55 if i remember correctly :dunno:

The deceptive beauty of statistics! Sure, u have more fender bender accidents in the 25-29 category than u do in the 18-21 group, BUT u have more rollovers and fatalities in the latter one per capita than the first group!

So, if it's numbers then yes. But severity of the accidents then I call BS!!!

It takes a mental age of 35 to make it back home without hitting somebody. I wouldn't let my 16 year old apply for the test.

[Bruno]

i'm telling you it'sa nursery.... first they should ejucate those who don't meet the minimum driving standard and then add a whole bunch of nursery kids.

the issue here is that i won't accept my 16yrold kid to share the road with people who don't know how to drive.