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"UAE Traffic Council Plans To Reduce Driving Age To 17"

The UAE’s Federal Traffic Council is pushing to reduce the legal driving age to 17, down from the current age of 18.

Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, head of Dubai Traffic Police, said: “All of the members in the Federal Traffic Council approved the idea and the proposal will be sent to the Interior Ministry soon to activate it.”
He said the idea is a positive move that will help families to run daily errands and will discourage teens from stealing their parents’ vehicles. “This law will help them to have a licence and know the traffic instructions and how to drive in a proper way,” Al Zafeen added.

He said the decision came after studying traffic safety ratings in other countries. “I have my trust in young Emirati motorists to drive in a professional way, sometimes better than drivers in their twenties or thirties.

“The driver’s age has nothing to do with causing accidents and casualties. Accidents caused by 14 to 17 year olds is nothing compared to adult motorists.”

RoadSafetyUAE.com founder Thomas Edelman thinks the move will reduce the number of accidents caused by teens. “If people receive proper driving training, the amount of accidents will become lower,” he explained.

However, 44-year-old Pakistani expat Nadeem Munir, who has been driving for several years, said youngsters in the Emirates get carried away on the roads and try to show off when they have friends in their car.

“The driving age in the UAE should be increased, not reduced. How will they deal with all of the road bullies and crazy drivers?” said Munir.

Official statistics from Dubai Police state that in 2013, 14 to 17 year olds were responsible for 13 accidents, one death and injuries to 10 people. Meanwhile, drivers aged over 18 killed 159 people and injured 2,495 in Dubai.

Aussie expat Jessica Rasic, 22, said: “It’s fine if they lower the legal age to drive, but they should double the amount of time it takes to obtain the full licence. You can start at 16 in Australia, but obtain your full licence at 19. The drivers are much more disciplined than here.”