Wearing seat belts in chauffeur driven cabs/limos & taxis must be as much the norm like when we drive ourselves. ALL passengers must wear seat belts ALWAYS, both on front-seats and on rear-seats. Since 1-July-2017 it’s the law!
We see a lot of passengers, especially in the back seats of chauffeur cabs & taxis not using seat belts, including kids. This is dangerous for the passengers, but also for the drivers – since in case of a collision, everything not restraint properly (including passengers on the back seats) becomes a torpedo-like object thrown forward – or sideways, following the direction of the impact. This can be lethal for the passenger and the driver.
In a seat belt survey commissioned by RoadSafetyUAE and one of our CSR-Partners (conducted by YouGov n= 1,016) in September 2018, which was more than 1 year (!) after the mandated use of seat belts on the back-seats of cars, alarming data were generated:
- Front-seat passengers ‘always’ using their seat belt: only 73%!
- Back-seat passengers ‘always’ using their seat belt: only 27%!
- (ref.: Khaleej Times article, based on RoadSafetyUAE press release)
Strategically, chauffeur driven cabs/limos and taxis present a huge opportunity for road safety in the UAE, since their ‘role-model’ behavior can set the example for other motorists to follow, for all road safety related manners (using indicators, road etiquette & politeness, speeding, etc.), and in particular about the use of seat belts: chauffeurs / drivers must always wear their seat belt and they can actively communicate & engage with their passengers and demand the use of seat belts!
How to do it right:
In the front seat – ALWAYS buckle up!
In the back seat – ALWAYS buckle up!
…it’s the LAW!
If you travel with kids:
If you have a small child who travels usually in a child seat:
- Make sure you call a chauffeur cab / taxi offering child seats
- In case your small child travels frequently in cabs, consider purchasing a combined child seat & baby stroller.
If you have a child who travels usually on a booster cushion:
- Make sure you call a chauffeur cab / taxi offering booster cushions
- Alternatively, take your own booster cushion along, they are light-weight and can be stored in a back pack.
For general tips & tricks for seat belts also check out: http://www.roadsafetyuae.com/fasten-seat-belts/
For child seats check also out: http://www.roadsafetyuae.com/child-seats/
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