My Inputs featured in Khaleej Times Newspaper.

Holidays are fun, not if you try to make it on the roads in UAE

During public and private sector holidays, the accident rate on UAE roads often spike as seen in the past few years.

This Eid Al Fitr, however, was a particularly tragic one as 17 people died in a horrific bus crash that took place on June 6. The Omani driver had crashed the bus into a road height restriction barrier near Al Rashidiya Metro Station.

There was also an accident in Abu Dhabi on the first day of Eid holidays, which took the lives of three Emirati children and a nanny. The speeding vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a lamp post in Al Falah district. The mother sustained critical injuries.

While in Ras Al Khaimah, an Omani expat was ran over by a speeding car. The driver was a 16-year-old who did not have a licence. Khaleej Times had reported that the RAK Police had attended 8,100 calls over the Eid break.

Road users call for tighter regulations UAE residents are urging drivers to follow road rules to ensure transportation is "safe for all", while some people have said they are now "scared" to drive in the country after reading about the high accident rate over holidays.

The bus crash in Dubai that killed 17 people shook the nation and also made international headlines. It was one of the most horrific accidents to take place in the UAE. Just two days before this accident, the tragic news of the death of a nanny and three children in Abu Dhabi on the first day of Eid holidays also shocked people.

Now, residents are insisting that even tighter laws and regulations be introduced and are urging other drivers to be more cautious.

Sonal Chhibber, an expat who drives in Dubai, said: "It was a horrific news and an unfortunate incident (the bus crash) that took place over Eid time. I felt so sorry for the victims and their families. A joyous time of Eid turned into tragedy for many. As a driver, I feel very scared now to drive on Dubai roads, considering that there is no road safety if such incidents and negligence by drivers continue to happen. It's quite a scary phenomenon. An improved traffic system and public safety is the need of the hour as people's trust and wellbeing are vital for any city or society to function well.

"It's sad but true that unfortunate accidents increase during holidays, and I feel this is because people are on a high and become ignorant of traffic rules and other people's safety. I have seen many people standing and dancing from open outlet in cars with loud music, driving carelessly and posing danger to others. It's totally unacceptable and stricter laws are needed to curb such incidents of rash and reckless driving on priority basis."