ABU DHABI // New laws on speeding, seat belts and school buses are needed to save lives on the roads – particularly children, the FNC says.
A new report prepared by the council’s interior and defence committee details a list of issues it says the Ministry of Interior needs to address.
The 24-page report found that while the number of road accidents was down, problems remained with child safety, awareness messages that lacked clarity and regulations and speed limits that differed between emirates.
The Ministry of Interior says 63 per cent of child deaths nationwide are caused by road accidents and 90 per cent of Emirati families do not use a car seat or seat belt for their children.
The FNC report echoes public concern about child safety. “There should be more laws,” said Hamad Karam, an Emirati law student from Ras Al Khaimah.
“Children in my family who go to government schools do not have a bus supervisor, which increases the number of accidents. Only private school buses have.”
The FNC report calls for harsher punishment for school bus drivers who run over children, and for drivers who break traffic laws with a child or disabled person as a passenger.
Off-road quad bikes were also singled out for regulation. Children under 18 are allowed to drive the vehicles in the desert, but not on public roads. They are also not allowed to hire the bikes. Parents, however, complain that this rule is rarely enforced.
Although overall road deaths dropped last year, measures put in place to slow traffic, such as speed cameras, are not having the desired effect.
The report says the increase in the number of cameras and other equipment intended to catch traffic offenders was not backed by any incentive for those who obeyed the road rules.
Many Emiratis view traffic laws and fines not as safety measures or deterrents but as a means to obtain “money that has nothing to do with decreasing road accidents”, the report says. Its findings are in line with a study carried out by United Arab Emirates University.
Dr Kamran Ahmed, a road-safety specialist and associate professor of civil engineering at the university, said such views were widespread.
“When people get tickets they think it’s a benefit to the traffic police, but this is not a revenue-driven department,” he said. “In my view it’s not like that.”
The ministry has told the FNC that it is targeting different nationalities by printing safety messages in a variety of languages, but changing attitudes was not an easy task.
“Even though the messages were in their mother tongue, due to little education and lack of road awareness” some expatriates retained poor driving habits, the ministry said.
The FNC report was due for discussion at last Tuesday’s session, before Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, but was postponed.
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Director: Raed Zeno
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Singham Again
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A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Winners
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Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
