ABU DHABI // Two years on from the UAE's deadliest road crash, bus drivers have said conditions on the country's roads have not changed, leading to fears that another crash of similar severity could be just around the corner.
Twenty-one men died when a bus carrying 45 labourers from their accommodation to their workplace collided with a lorry in Al Ain on February 4, 2013.
Pakistani bus driver Sabreen Khan said his own poor conduct on the roads had served as a wake-up call.
“In the past four years, I’ve had five road accidents due to speeding and received injuries. But now I have learnt my lesson and have started following traffic rules,” he said.
He said nothing had changed since the Al Ain crash. “There have been no more safety measures or additional briefings on road safety.”
Despite the severity of the 2013 crash, he said he still frequently dealt with inconsiderate driving by other motorists, road rage and dangerous overtaking.
Mr Khan said light-vehicle drivers should also respect the older, vulnerable buses, which he said were poorly manufactured and would “shatter like cards” in even a minor accident.
“When I put on my left indicator to turn, small cars ignore that and accelerate further to block while we push to be in the left lane. Then accidents happen,” Mr Khan said.
The driver, who has 13 years of experience behind the wheel, also criticised the quality of his vehicle. “These buses are very poorly manufactured and can’t withstand any accidents.”
There was also an onus on bus and heavy-vehicle drivers to respect the rules of the road, some drivers said.
“Speeding in buses is like killing yourself intentionally,” said Pakistani bus driver Rizwan Ullah, 30.
“Particularly workers’ buses that are fitted with air-pressure brakes, which we have to pump up to brake, while cars are equipped with high-quality hydraulic and anti-lock braking systems, which give them efficient control.”
He said if you were travelling at more than 100kph, the air-pressure brakes did not work effectively and could lead to accidents.
While parked, Mr Ullah demonstrated this by releasing the pressure in his brakes, and then trying to brake again – with no effect.
“Foggy and misty mornings make roads slippery, causing skidding when brakes are applied. So we drive slow,” said Mr Ullah, who has been driving buses for nine years.
Bus drivers have to follow a speed limit of 80kph whereas light vehicles can travel up to 120kph on most motorways. “I drive at 30 to 40kph in the city and outside, at 80kph,” Mr Ullah said.
Roshanara Sait, a road-safety expert in Dubai, said: “Speeding and overconfidence cause accidents. Motorists should realise that other lives are also in their hands.
“In bad weather, it’s harder to control the vehicle and every driver should understand if you follow basic traffic rules you should not pose a hazard.”
Just basic courtesy and respecting road rules and other road users would help reduce the number of fatalities on the roads, Ms Sait said.
anwar@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Civil%20War
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alex%20Garland%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kirsten%20Dunst%2C%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Wagner%20Moura%2C%20Nick%20Offerman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Kanye%20West
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