Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Mandatory seat belt for backseat passengers proposed in UAE

The Federal Traffic Council (FTC) proposed in its latest meeting that passengers in a vehicle’s back seat must fasten their seat belts and those who don’t will be considered offenders and will be issued fines.

Maj Gen Mohammad Said Al Zafein, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Operations’ Affairs and Chairman of the Federal Traffic Council, said violators will be fined Dh400 and given four black points.

He explained that the council took the age and height of the passenger into consideration, as well as the view of the policeman, when drafting the proposal which has yet to become law.

Injuries are more severe in accidents where seat belts were not used, Maj Gen Al Zafein said, which is why the Ministry of Interior puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of seat belts.
Maj Gen Al Zafein said international scientific studies have confirmed the role of the seat belt in saving many lives, as they prevent the person from hitting the steering wheel or the dashboard or flying through the windshield due to inertia when the car stops suddenly.

He said studies also showed that the risk of death of a passenger in the front seat with their seat belt on increases if a passenger in the backseat is not wearing their seat belt and vice versa.

“When an accident happens, the car stops but the passengers’ bodies continue to move forward at the same speed that the vehicle was moving. If the vehicle was at 100 km/h before the accident, the passenger will be hurled with a force between 1,000kg-1,500kg if not wearing a seat belt, which can cause death or injury to himself as well as other passengers in the vehicle.”

Last month the FTC announced that they had proposed a new law to fine drivers or their passengers if they put any part of their body out of the vehicle when the vehicle is in motion, as well as a law to punish drivers preoccupied with matters other than driving.

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