All stick and no carrot does not a better driver make
Dubai's police have been a lot more evident of late, pulling over errant drivers and generally acting on Shk Mohammed's edict to improve traffic flow. Actually, this is most welcome - visible enforcement of the rules is a powerful motivator to others.
Provided,that is, you know what the rules are. And I firmly believe that the solution to Dubai's traffic woes lies, not in more rules and radars, but in education. We have some of the best roads in the world. It is about time we had some of the best drivers too.
Many aspects of this are discussed in an article from the UK's Guardian newspaper, looking at the career of the superbly named lawyer Nick Freeman. The later part of the article looks at speed limits and their enforcement, and the extent to which speed is a significant factor in accidents. The author concludes:
"At the reception for his book, Stephen Haley explained that the idea for it had sprung from a simple problem - how best to explain important driving skills to his son and daughter. These skills were fairly basic - paying due care and attention, not relying on the skills of others, and not depending on rules alone to define safety on the roads. But they contained a universal truth: punishment was not the key. To travel well, one needed to take responsibility for one's own actions, a lot like life in general." www.safespeed.org.uk; www.minddriving.org
The rest of the article is here http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1937383,00.html
Worth a read.
Provided,that is, you know what the rules are. And I firmly believe that the solution to Dubai's traffic woes lies, not in more rules and radars, but in education. We have some of the best roads in the world. It is about time we had some of the best drivers too.
Many aspects of this are discussed in an article from the UK's Guardian newspaper, looking at the career of the superbly named lawyer Nick Freeman. The later part of the article looks at speed limits and their enforcement, and the extent to which speed is a significant factor in accidents. The author concludes:
"At the reception for his book, Stephen Haley explained that the idea for it had sprung from a simple problem - how best to explain important driving skills to his son and daughter. These skills were fairly basic - paying due care and attention, not relying on the skills of others, and not depending on rules alone to define safety on the roads. But they contained a universal truth: punishment was not the key. To travel well, one needed to take responsibility for one's own actions, a lot like life in general." www.safespeed.org.uk; www.minddriving.org
The rest of the article is here http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1937383,00.html
Worth a read.
posted by EyeOnDubai at 3:47 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home