More speed reductions could be seen on Dubai's roads. Satish Kumar / The National
More speed reductions could be seen on Dubai's roads. Satish Kumar / The National

More Dubai roads could see speed limit reduction, police say



Speed limits on Dubai roads could be reduced if the reduction on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Emirates roads proves to be a success, police said.

The limit on the Dubai stretches of the E311 and the E611 were reduced from 120kph to 110kph from midnight on Sunday, though a 20kph buffer is still in operation.

“The speed limit was reduced to cut down the number of accidents and road deaths. Our main aim is to reduce the number of major accidents by more than 20 per cent,” said Brig Saif Al Mazrouei, head of the traffic department at Dubai Police.

“Once we find that the reduction of the speed limit contributed in the reduction of major accidents and road deaths, we will consider reducing the speed on other roads in the emirate.”

He gave the example of a speed limit reduction on the Al Ain road two years ago.

“It contributed to cutting down the number of accidents and fatalities on the road,” said Brig Al Mazrouei.

One hundred people were killed in road incidents in Dubai in the past nine months, with misjudgement by drivers and failing to leave a safe distance between vehicles the leading causes of death. This is down from 148 deaths in the same period the previous year.

Only three hours after the speed limit reduction was put in place, an Egyptian woman sustained severe injuries when she drove her Jeep along the hard shoulder of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road near Mirdif into the back of a stationary lorry. Police said she had been speeding.

Brig Saeed Hamad bin Sulaiman, director of Rashidiya Police Station, agreed that the impact of the limit reductions will need to be studied but it could well lead to reductions elsewhere.

“A number of major road accidents took place on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Emirates roads, the most serious of which have taken place on Emirates Road, so the move to reduce speed limits aims to curb major accidents,” said Brig bin Sulaiman.

“An examination of reducing speed limits will take place after three months and, accordingly, we will consider reducing speed limits on other roads.”

He added that Dubai Police and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) are in constant dialogue to find ways to reduce road accidents and deaths.

Read more: 100 die on Dubai's roads in nine months this year

Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, said that reducing the speed limit is an effective way of reducing crashes.

“Reducing the speed limit will enable drivers to react and behave better on the roads. The only time when slow driving is dangerous is when driving at the wrong speed in the wrong lane,” he said.

“Sudden swerving or abrupt lane changing are the most common cause of road deaths. Speeding and not leaving a safe distance are considered the second and third [biggest] causes of accidents.”

Mr Edelmann added that the speed buffer on roads only leads to confusion among drivers and so they should be removed.

“When the speed limit on a road is 110kph, then it should be only 110kph, or if it is 130kph, then it should be stated that it’s only 130kph,” he said, adding that driver behaviour can slowly be changed through heftier fines, increased police presence and the the use of technology.

“The impact of reducing speed limit is massive, even if the driver’s speed was reduced only by 10kph.”

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

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Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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SPECS

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Torque: 850Nm
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Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

The biog

Name: Sarah Al Senaani

Age: 35

Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2

Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism

Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding

Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier

Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

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THE%20SPECS
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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.

The biog

Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Favourite music: Classical

Hobbies: Reading and writing

 

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