Chapter 5 of 10
Most accidents follow a small number of familiar patterns, and nearly all of them start with a driver’s decision. This chapter looks at why accidents happen, the typical mistakes behind each type of collision, how junction design affects the outcome, animals on the road, and what to do when an accident, breakdown or fire does happen.
Chapter 5 · 12 sections
Section 1 of 12
Speeding is named as the principal cause, but the handbook traces it back to a lack of road courtesy and a failure to follow the rules.
Source: Handbook §5.1, p. 91
Note
The handbook says speeding is considered the principal cause of a large share of road accidents in the UAE (its figure is on the statistics card below). Looking closer, it says the root cause is in fact a lack of road courtesy.
Some drivers act as if they may drive however they like and forget that the road is not their private property. Reckless driving then ends up hurting other people.
Source: Handbook §5.1, p. 91
Note
A second cause is lack of adherence to the rules of the road. The handbook gives three examples of how motorists get killed.
Source: Handbook §5.1, p. 91
Note
Check against current rulesThe handbook says men are at much higher risk than women, and that the problem is most acute among young drivers. These figures come from the 2018 handbook, which gives no year or source for them, so treat them as background and not as current statistics.
Source: Handbook §5.1, p. 91
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Section 2 of 12
The first three accident types in the handbook’s list: crashes involving one vehicle, collisions at junctions and collisions while turning.
Source: Handbook §5.2, pp. 92–93
Definition
A single-vehicle accident involves only one vehicle. The handbook says a high proportion of the injury accidents reported by the police are of this kind, and that they are both the most common type and the type that accounts for the most serious injuries.
Source: Handbook §5.2.1, p. 92
Important
Inside and outside the city, junction accidents usually come down to something one or both drivers did. Notice how many of these are assumptions: that others will follow the rules, or that a green light means the junction is clear.
Source: Handbook §5.2.2, p. 92
Important
Collisions between two vehicles while one is turning have three common causes. The handbook adds that accidents between motor vehicles account for more than one fourth of all accidents with personal injuries.
Source: Handbook §5.2.3, p. 93
Section 3 of 12
Collisions between vehicles travelling in opposite directions are the worst of all, and misjudged overtaking is very often behind them.
Source: Handbook §5.2, pp. 93–94
Important
Accidents between vehicles travelling in opposite directions, often while overtaking, are where most deaths and injuries occur. The handbook says they tend to have the most serious consequences of all road accidents, and are very often caused by misjudged overtaking.
Source: Handbook §5.2.4, p. 93
Important
Overtaking accidents happen when the driver makes one of these mistakes.
Source: Handbook §5.2.5, p. 94
Rule
The handbook’s reminder for this section is short: it is always permissible to refrain from overtaking. If you are not sure, staying behind is always an allowed choice.
Source: Handbook §5.2.5, p. 94
Rule
The simple rule is never drink and drive. Driving under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicating substance greatly increases the risk of a collision and of serious injury. The handbook says this cannot be ruled out anywhere, including the UAE.
Source: Handbook §5.2.6, p. 94
Section 4 of 12
Accidents with unprotected road users nearly always begin with a driver who did not look, did not see, or was going too fast.
Source: Handbook §5.2, p. 95
Important
The handbook lists five common causes of accidents at pedestrian crossings.
Source: Handbook §5.2.7, p. 95
Important
Two causes are given for accidents with cyclists: the driver ignored the cyclist, or the driver misjudged the cyclist’s speed and intention.
Source: Handbook §5.2.8, p. 95
Section 5 of 12
The last three accident types in the list: driving in the dark, following too closely, and failing to see motorcycles.
Source: Handbook §5.2, p. 96
Important
The handbook gives three probable causes of accidents at night.
Source: Handbook §5.2.9, p. 96
Important
A rear-end collision happens when a driver follows too close to the vehicle in front. The handbook says these collisions are most common inside the city limits. They usually follow a sudden stop by a vehicle ahead, such as a taxi, or happen because the driver did not leave a safety distance.
Source: Handbook §5.2.10, p. 96
Important
Two common causes are given for accidents between four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles.
Source: Handbook §5.2.11, p. 96
Section 6 of 12
Junction design is always a compromise between mobility and safety. The type of junction changes both how often accidents happen and how bad they are.
Source: Handbook §5.3, pp. 97–98
Note
Here the rule is to give way to vehicles coming from the left. All traffic must slow down, and vehicles from the left go first. In heavy traffic a busy junction of this kind can be very difficult to get through.
Because speed is not a factor, the handbook says the outcome of an accident here tends not to be too severe.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 97
Important
Traffic lights give full information about who should drive and who should stop. There are fewer accidents here than at uncontrolled junctions, but those that happen are often very severe because of the high speeds involved. Head-on or side collisions at high speed cause serious injuries.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 97
Note
A properly designed roundabout is described as the safest type of junction. It should have a sharp entrance, which reduces speed before entering and exiting.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 97
Note
Crossings are designed to help pedestrians cross and to direct them away from unsafe places elsewhere on the road. Yet the handbook warns that a crossing can be very unsafe: the pedestrian gets a feeling of safety and becomes less careful.
Reducing speed at crossings brings several advantages.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 98
Rule
Most of us underestimate the risk of being injured or killed in a road accident. Speed is always the main factor for injuries and fatalities. Reducing speed will not eliminate accidents, but it greatly reduces how severe they are.
Driving fast raises the risk for you and for everyone else involved.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 98
Section 7 of 12
Animals are a constant hazard in rural areas, above all at dawn and dusk. Slow down, watch the sides of the road and be patient.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
Note
Most main highways are fenced to keep camels off, but in some rural areas camels still stray onto the road. A camel can easily rush out and collide with an unwary driver.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
Steps
Animals have no sense of the danger they present or of the risk of being hit, so be patient and deal with the hazard carefully.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
Important
Small animals can cause severe accidents because drivers often overreact and slam on the brakes in a panic. The handbook says that, to avoid injuring yourself or other road users, it may occasionally be necessary to run over a small animal.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
Note
The handbook lists four probable causes of accidents involving animals.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
Section 8 of 12
Ten everyday habits that reduce your chances of ending up in a critical situation. It takes only a fraction of a second for things to start going wrong.
Source: Handbook §5.5, p. 100
Steps
The first group of habits is about observation: seeing trouble early enough to respond.
Source: Handbook §5.5, p. 100
Steps
The second group is about how you drive and how you look after your own concentration.
Source: Handbook §5.5, p. 100
Note
Many drivers do not treat driving as a serious exercise, one in which a lapse of concentration or a failure of technique can leave someone gravely injured or killed. It takes only a fraction of a second for things to start going wrong.
Source: Handbook §5.5, p. 100
Section 9 of 12
Everyone makes mistakes, so accidents cannot be eliminated completely. Their consequences can be reduced through better behaviour, safer roads and safer vehicles.
Source: Handbook §5.6, p. 101
Note
The vision for Abu Dhabi’s roads is an environment where nobody is killed or seriously injured in a traffic accident. Since everyone makes a mistake at some time, accidents cannot be eliminated completely, but their consequences can be minimised. All three components are needed: if one is missing, the system fails.
Source: Handbook §5.6, p. 101
Steps
The handbook gives these steps for a breakdown, in this order. The phone number it prints for assistance is on the emergency numbers card in the accident section.
Source: Handbook §5.6, p. 101
Section 10 of 12
Accidents happen suddenly, and you may be the first on the scene. Further collisions are the immediate danger, so warning other traffic comes first.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, pp. 102–103
Note
Many people will be involved in an accident at some stage, experienced drivers included. Accidents are often blamed on high speed and poor visibility, but the handbook says it is usually closer to the truth that the drivers could not control their vehicles in the circumstances.
Driving defensively reduces your chances, yet an accident is always possible. If you are first to arrive at one, the safety of the casualties and of other road users may be in your hands.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 102
Steps
The first thing the handbook lists if you are involved in an accident is warning other traffic, because further collisions may happen.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 102
Steps
Call the emergency services and give full details of the location and the casualties. Location details are marked on yellow signs placed at regular intervals on the hard shoulder. Always check one before you call, so that you can tell the emergency services exactly where you are.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 103
Important
Check against current rulesThese are the numbers exactly as the October 2018 handbook prints them. Phone numbers can change, and the handbook gives 999 for two different services, so confirm the current numbers with an official source before relying on them.
Source: Handbook Chapter 5, pp. 101, 103Accident numbers are on page 103 (5.7.1); the breakdown number is on page 101 (5.6).
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Illustrated
Check against current rules
The picture puts the handbook’s guidance for a driver involved in an accident into the order in which the text gives it. The handbook does not number these steps, and step 4 comes from a sentence that is partly garbled in the original, so check the details with your instructor.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, pp. 102–103
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Section 11 of 12
What the 2018 handbook says about helping others, your obligations before you leave, and how to behave when you pass an accident that others are already handling.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, pp. 102–103
Note
Check against current rulesGive whatever help you can to others involved. People who seem unhurt may be suffering from shock and may be unaware of their injuries, and that includes you. If in doubt, get checked at the hospital.
The handbook suggests that perhaps as many as a quarter of accident victims could have been saved by first aid from fellow road users, and asks those certified in first aid to be prepared to give it. This is 2018 guidance, not first-aid training.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, pp. 102–103
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Rule
Check against current rulesThe handbook sets out these obligations. They are legal guidance from October 2018 and may have changed, so confirm the current rules with an official source.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 103
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Steps
Check against current rulesMake sure witnesses do not leave before you have their names and addresses. Also note the numbers of any vehicles whose occupants might have seen the accident.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 103
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Rule
If you are not one of the first to arrive and enough people have already stopped to help, drive past carefully and do not let the accident distract you.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 103
Section 12 of 12
A small fire may be put out with an extinguisher; a serious one is for the fire brigade. The handbook’s casualty guidance is reported here as printed.
Source: Handbook §5.7.2, p. 104
Rule
Carrying a suitable fire extinguisher in your vehicle may help you put out a small fire. If the fire appears to be a serious one, do not try to tackle it: get well clear of the vehicle and leave it to the fire brigade.
Source: Handbook §5.7.2, p. 104
Note
The panic that comes with an accident is often extremely stressful. If possible, one person should take charge of getting assistance and of alerting other road users by setting out triangular hazard signs. However confusing the situation is, try to stay as calm as possible.
Source: Handbook §5.7.2, p. 104
Important
Check against current rulesThis is what the 2018 handbook says about injured people. It is not first-aid training, and first-aid advice may have been updated since, so follow the instructions of the emergency services.
Source: Handbook §5.7.2, p. 104
Check against current rules. This point could not be fully verified or may have changed since the 2018 handbook.
Chapter 5 recap
: If my light is green, the intersection must be clear.
: Believing the intersection was clear because the light was green is one of the listed causes of junction accidents. So is expecting everyone else to follow the rules.
Source: Handbook §5.2.2, p. 92
: A pedestrian crossing is always a safe place, so I need not slow much for one.
: The handbook says a crossing can be very unsafe, because the pedestrian feels safe and becomes less careful. Cars must slow down before entering a pedestrian crossing.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 98
: The highway is fenced, so there will be no camels on it.
: Even where there is a protective fence or barrier, camels may find a way through a gap, and where the fence ends livestock can easily reach the road.
Source: Handbook §5.4, p. 99
: Driving more slowly means I will not have an accident.
: Reducing speed will not eliminate accidents. What it does is greatly reduce how severe an accident is, for you and for everyone else involved.
Source: Handbook §5.3, p. 98
: I should always slow down or stop when I pass an accident.
: If enough people have already stopped to help, drive past carefully without being distracted. If the accident is on the other side of a motorway, do not slow down to look.
Source: Handbook §5.7.1, p. 103
Chapter 5 · practice
6 quick questions on this chapter, with an explanation after each answer. Or practise all 13 questions written for it.
