Drive stresses safe distance on roads

Police officers ably backed up by student volunteers Monday kicked off a pamphlet campaign in Dubai to reinforce public awareness about the need for maintaining safe distance on the roads. The head of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, personally led efforts to highlight the vital aspect of safe driving. Motorists stopping by at a petrol station in Garhoud were handed out leaflets on the subject and got to speak to Major General Al Zafein, who supervises the safe distance campaign, which was launched in May. "The safe distance campaign is a necessary one which the department relies on to curb accidents and reduce their risks, since most accidents that occurred in Dubai last year were caused by failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles," Maj Gen Al Zafein said. He was accompanied by Major Juma Salem Bin Suwaidan, director of the Activities Section in Deira during the pamphlet campaign. The campaign, launched in cooperation with 100 student volunteers, also features lectures, distribution of pamphlets in shopping malls, and advertisements in all media. Statistics Failing to leave safe distance between vehicles caused 448 collisions in 2010, leading to 16 deaths. The safe distance can be calculated using the three-second rule, which stipulates that the car in front should have passed by a roadside point of reference — such as a tree — three seconds before one's car. Roughly speaking, a length of six to seven cars is sufficient at a speed of 100kph. When halting on a slope or at a traffic light, a distance of about half of one car's length should be left, but when driving in a gridlock, a space of one metre should be sufficient.