They say that trouble comes in threes. Given that my car has been driven into not once, not twice but three times in Abu Dhabi this year so far, I’m inclined to agree.
Thankfully, all three incidents were the kind of low-speed prangs that can happen in any city. The back of my second-hand sedan was crashed into twice, leaving me with police reports to collect, insurance forms to complete, time-consuming trips to the garage – and lingering anxiety about seeing cars approach in the rearview mirror.
In the third incident, the driver in front threw his car into reverse without warning and hit me moments before I was due to arrive at an inspection centre for my vehicle’s mandatory check-up. Irony indeed.
The culprits – all male drivers, by the way – were clearly not paying attention to what was directly in front of or behind them. Such distraction and carelessness were highlighted last month when Dubai Police released images taken by traffic cameras of one driver reading a newspaper while on the road and another driving with a mobile phone in each hand.
The Emirates has some of the best roads I’ve driven on. Surfaces and lighting are well maintained, and advanced cameras can catch those speeding, tailgating or otherwise driving recklessly. The penalties for infractions can be tough and police regularly run awareness campaigns on road safety. But getting hit three times in less than 12 months has led some friends to suggest, not entirely facetiously, that my wheels are cursed. Leaving aside the supernatural, these collisions have led me to ask myself the following question: why do some people drive a vehicle at anywhere up to 160kph while simultaneously trying to do something else?
I’m not blameless here; I’ll admit to occasionally fiddling with the music or navigation while on the road. It’s a bad habit I’ve mostly corrected by putting my device in flight mode before setting out, thereby removing the possibility of being distracted. But it has never occurred to me to have an entire phone conversation or compose a text message while trying to keep an eye on the cars in front as well as what’s happening in the rear and side mirrors. My multi-tasking abilities are simply not up to the job.
Apparently, this is where too many other drivers disagree. Research carried out by cognitive psychologists into this kind of mental juggling has found that not only do many motorists vastly overestimate their ability to perform two tasks at the same time, the attention and reaction cost of switching, say, from driving to texting and back, is much greater than we think. In 2015, two studies produced by the University of Utah in the US found that drivers who spoke to their car’s infotainment system or smartphone took almost 30 seconds to regain full concentration on the road, even after the task was completed – so much for thinking that recording voice notes instead of typing texts is playing it safe.
But even if we underestimate just how deleterious multi-tasking is to our driving ability, most motorists still recognise that it’s a dangerous habit; the fact that it is illegal to drive while on the phone in the UAE and many other jurisdictions should leave no room for misunderstanding. There are two main reasons why we persist: a flawed conception of risk and the almost complete colonisation of our everyday lives by digital devices.
Why do some people drive a vehicle at anywhere up to 160kph while simultaneously trying to do something else?
Just as we overestimate our multi-tasking ability, many drivers have an exaggerated sense of being in control while behind the wheel.
A 2022 study of more than 1,000 professional and private motorists in Morocco published in Traffic Psychology and Behaviour found that drivers who “possess a high sense of control over road risks tend to have a low perception of these risks and to adopt fewer safety behaviours”. In short, we perceive that we’re in control – for many, driving is an everyday activity, so why not? Therefore, we may sometimes feel that it’s OK to take a chance by replying to that text or answering that call.
That skewed perception of risk is exacerbated by the second reason: the now-unavoidable role of handheld technology. In 2017, psychologists writing in the medical-scientific journal PLOS One noted that “given the sheer frequency and duration of daily smartphone usage it is conceivable that changes in cognition, behaviour and psychological states may be observed in users”. Seven years later, digital devices are more central to our lives than ever.
The American psychologist Dr Mike Brooks, co-author of Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World, uses Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning thesis to explore this further. Because, Dr Brooks says, smartphones are “associated with ways to meet our psychological needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness” and supply endless information, news, knowledge and entertainment, “the sounds of our smartphones elicit automatic, reflexive responses”. We drive, the phone makes a sound, we respond.
But I’d like to think that although the pull of these distractions is strong, we are capable of making better choices. Yes, many driving schools, theory tests and national authorities emphasise to new motorists the need to avoid distractions. Sure, picking up a few fines or penalty points for phone use can also adjust drivers’ behaviour. But perhaps the key is to make distracted driving as socially unacceptable as drink driving has become in many countries.
But it takes time to change attitudes. For now, I’ll keep my eyes peeled while on the road – and sound the horn a bit more often.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
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The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Honeymoonish
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Sweet%20Tooth
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
