Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, March 6th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

    RoadSafetyUAE and Qatar Insurance Company present the findings of the 2nd cycle of the ‘UAE Road Safety Monitor’, a unique perception study of UAE driving behaviour.
    Despite 79% (+11% pts.) of motorists believing road infrastructure has improved, 56% (+3% pts.) think driving is now more dangerous than six months ago.
    Motorists perceive that abrupt changing of lanes, speeding, tailgating and distracted driving have all increased.
    Overall driving enjoyment is on the rise 51% (+10% pts.) in the last 6 months, while the commute times are perceived longer by 65% (+1% pt.) of respondents.

UAE’s motorists applaud the government’s efforts to further improve the road infrastructure, which shortens commuting time and increases driving enjoyment, however, reckless driving continues to annoy UAE motorists, according to the 2nd cycle of the UAE Road Safety Monitor.

The study, commissioned by QIC Insured (Qatar Insurance Company) and RoadSafetyUAE, is the 2nd cycle of an ongoing study to quantify perception trends of motorists about: infrastructure, the overall driving enjoyment, commute time, driving behaviour (linked to the main causes of accidents, injuries and fatalities), and fines & accidents. The perception trends are always measured for the last 6 respective months. This cycle was conducted by YouGov in February 2016, as the first cycle was conducted in April 2015. The monitor is based on the views of a representative sample of more than 1,000 UAE residents.

Commenting on the UAE Road Safety Monitor, Frederik Bisbjerg, Executive Vice President MENA Retail, QIC Insured, said: “We are proud to be associated with this unique long term perception study, as it provides hard facts for us and all concerned stakeholders to work in the right direction with regards to facilitating the ambitious targets set out for road safety in the government’s ‘UAE Vision 2021’. Furthermore, it supports the efforts of QIC Insured to actively support the creation of safer roads.”

Infrastructure; overall driving enjoyment; commute time:

Respondents applaud the efforts of UAE government institutions to build new roads, bridges and access roads; with 79% reporting that road infrastructure has improved in the last six months, which represents a +11% pts. Increase vs. the last 2015 UAE Road Safety Monitor cycle.

51% (+8%pts.) of respondents say they enjoy driving on the UAE’s roads more than six months ago, compared to 24% (-8%pts.) who enjoy it less.

Nearly two thirds, 65% (-1%pt.) of respondents reported their commute is taking longer than six months ago, with a lucky 19% (+1%pt.) enjoying a quicker drive to work.

Driving behaviour:

Whilst the government works hard to improve road facilities, the driving culture remains a big challenge.

56% (+1%pts.) believe the UAE’s roads have become more dangerous in the last 6 months, compared with only 22% (-6%pts.) who say they have become safer. A matter of concern is the perception of young drivers aged 18-24 years, who are often referred to as underestimating the dire effects of dangerous driving, with (only) 45% stating driving has become more dangerous, whereas in the last cycle this value stood at 57%, representing a decline of -12%pts.!

67% (+1%pts.) of respondents say, they have seen more speeding vehicles on the roads in the last 6 months, 64% (-1%pt.) perceive more tailgating, 79% (+4%pts.) more distracted driving and 69% more abrupt lane changing (#1 killer on our roads)!

Fines & Accidents:

In the last 6 month, 19% (-1%pt.) of the respondents have been in traffic accidents and 24% (-3%pts.) received traffic fines.

Thomas Edelmann, Founder and Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE, said: “Despite comprehensive efforts to enhance and improve our roads, the irresponsible behaviour of significant numbers of motorists remains a stubborn challenge. The abrupt changing of lanes, tailgating, speeding and distracted driving are top killers on our roads and yet all are entirely preventable. The UAE authorities are doing their part to make our roads safer and more efficient; it is now the turn of the country’s drivers to fulfil their end of the bargain. We need to raise the awareness for proper conduct on our roads by permanent, meaningful and relevant means of communication and education.”

The details of the UAE Road Safety Monitor can be found in the ‘featured’ section on: http://www.roadsafetyuae.com/statistics/. The study will be repeated every six months with the next scheduled for release mid Q3/2016.

-ENDS-

About the ‘UAE Road Safety Monitor’:

The UAE Road Safety Monitor is a joint initiative RoadSafetyUAE and Qatar Insurance Company to generate data and increase public awareness for the causes of poor driving in order to encourage a safety-first motoring culture. In this 2nd cycle, in February 2016, a representative sample of 1,003 residents living in all seven emirates of the UAE were surveyed online by YouGov.

About RoadSafetyUAE:

RoadSafetyUAE’s vision is to contribute to reducing the number of road traffic fatalities, injuries and accidents in the UAE. RoadSafetyUAE’s mission is to raise the all stake holders’ awareness for proper conduct on our roads, in an engaging manner and on a broadly communicated and permanent basis. RoadSafetyUAE’s award winning platform engages with the stake holders traffic participants, governmental entities, the media, and more than 30 corporate social responsibility (CSR) aware partners. The content backbone are ‘tips&tricks’, provided for more than 50 topics of road safety, specifically relevant to the UAE. More information can be found on www.RoadSafetyUAE.com.

In addition to QIC Insured, RoadSafetyUAE partners with RTA, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai Health Authority, BMW, Michelin, Audi, Nissan, Infiniti, Al Masaood, Al-Futtaim Honda, Volvo, Al-Futtaim Volvo, Galadari Brothers - Mazda, Al Habtoor Motors - Mitsubishi, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles - Dodge, MAN Trucks, Gargash Insurance Brokers, ADNOC, PepsiCo, MMI, Pernod Ricard, Galadari Motor Driving Center, Serco, MiXTelematics, JustKidding, AMEC Foster Wheeler, Al Hilal Bank, NSG and VOX Cinemas.

About QIC Insured, Qatar Insurance Company

Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) is a publicly listed composite insurer with a consistent performance history of 50 years and an underwriting footprint across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Founded in 1964, QIC was the first domestic insurance company in the State of Qatar. Today, QIC is the market leader in Qatar and a dominant insurer in the GCC and MENA regions. QIC is one of the highest rated insurers in the Gulf region with a rating of A/Stable from Standard & Poor’s and A(Excellent) from A.M. Best. In terms of profitability and market capitalization, QIC is also the largest insurance company in the MENA region. It is listed on the Qatar Exchange and has a market capitalization of USD 4 billion.

QIC Insured is the retail brand of QIC’s personal insurances and can be experienced at qic-insured.com  

Contacts

Frederik Bisbjerg

Executive Vice President, MENA Retail

www.qic-insured.com

frederik.bisbjerg@qicmena.com.qa

+971 50 62 95 187

Thomas Edelmann

Founder and Managing Director

RoadSafetyUAE

Thomas@RoadSafetyUAE.com

+971 50 55 19 216

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