Driving in the UAE is not an easy feat, especially for young drivers who have recently acquired a driving license in the UAE. The majority of the road accidents occur because of young drivers as they don’t have the experience of driving in the diverse driving conditions of the UAE. The unpredictable nature of the weather and a high ratio of expatriates who have not yet adapted to the traffic culture of the UAE make driving in the country even more challenging.
However, if young drivers adopt defensive driving habits, they can easily make themselves capable of driving in the UAE and become safe drivers. There are some defensive driving habits that should be adopted by every driver so that they can become safe drivers with a better road awareness and proactive driving mindset.
Here are 5 defensive driving habits that should be adopted by every young driver for safer commuting.
Wear the Seatbelt
This is one of the most basic defensive driving practice that is often ignored by even the most experienced of drivers. Wearing the seatbelt should become a habit of any person who wants to drive in the UAE as not wearing the seatbelt is a serious traffic offense with a heavy penalty. Seatbelts are often disregarded, but they are actually one of the most important safety features, which is included in every car sold worldwide.
By wearing seatbelt, a driver can minimize the chances of receiving a serious injury in case of an accident. Although it will not save the driver from an accident, it can always help in ensuring that the driver is safe in the seat and isn’t thrown out of the car and that the impact of injuries is reduced to a bare minimum in the event of a road accident.
Plan the Trip Ahead of Time
Knowledge is power and planning a trip ahead of time will help in avoiding roads with heavy traffic. When deciding to drive, a young driver should always take help of latest news, social media and apps such as Google Maps to see which roads have more traffic and plan the route accordingly. If the roads with heavy traffic are known before embarking on a journey, alternate route can be taken, which conserves fuel and helps in better managing the time. A well-planned trip helps in not only avoiding heavy traffic but also reduces the anxiety, which arises from driving on congested roads.
Always Be Prepared
The driving culture of the UAE is very diverse and many new and young drivers often find it hard to adapt to the fast-paced and diverse driving conditions of the UAE. When young motorists are receiving their driving training, instructors always advise them to be responsible, take charge of the situation by acting defensively and never expect the other drivers to know best. No two drivers will react the same way in a situation so it is better to not to assume that the other drivers know how to drive defensively in a difficult driving situation.
As a young driving license aspirant in the UAE, one should always be prepared to take actions such as sudden braking, changing lanes or overtaking a vehicle because the others might not be the best of drivers. Always try to keep your eyes on the road and remain on the lookout for such drivers. Things can escalate quickly and turn into a dangerous situation if both drivers are relying on the other to make the right decision.
Keep the Distractions Away
In order to drive defensively, one needs to make sure that the attention is always on the road and the driving condition. This means that as a young driver one needs to keep all distractions away such as keeping the mobile phone away, keeping eatables out of reach, turning down the volume of music and not talking to any passenger, especially when driving in heavy traffic or challenging weather conditions.
Even a minor distraction can result in a dangerous collision and result in serious injuries to the occupants of the car. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so keeping the distractions away while driving is very important.
Learn to Control the Speed
One thing that many young drivers are not very good at is controlling the speed of the vehicle, an empty road is often prone to speeding violation as there are not many vehicles to help a young driver remain within speed limits. Controlling the vehicle and its speed is very important, especially when driving in heavy traffic or when driving in the fast lane. Over-speeding is one of the most heavily fined and penalized traffic violation in the UAE so anyone found guilty of speeding is penalized heavily
Young drivers should consciously try to maintain the driving speed and always try to control stay within the limits. Driving slowly in fast lane or driving fast in slow lanes can have dangerous consequences, so this is something that young drivers have to practice a lot. While purchasing a new vehicle, it is better to look for a vehicle with Speed Limiter, Intelligent Speed Assist or Teen Driver System so that the vehicle can be configured to never go above a certain speed.
Join a Good Defensive Driving Course
While all of the above mentioned defensive driving habits can be adopted easily, if you don’t feel confident about your driving skills then you can join a good defensive driving course by a reputed driving school in the UAE. By joining a good defensive driving course, you can get training from experienced professionals who will help you develop a road awareness mindset and ensure that you are fully prepared to drive safely in the UAE.
If you want to apply for a defensive driving course in the UAE then visit us at LearnAnyCar.com or call our customer support to become a better and safe driver.