Nearly half of young Dubai motorists driving with unsafe tyres, study reveals

Spot checks carried out at two universities in the emirate found more than 20 cars on which all four tyres needed to be replaced

New research has found scores of young drivers in the UAE are driving with tyres that do not meet safety standards. Continental 
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Young drivers in the UAE are treading dangerously by not maintaining their vehicles’ tyres, new research has found.

A spot check carried out on 331 cars belonging to students at two universities in Dubai found 44 per cent had at least one tyre that did not meet safety standards, with potentially deadly defects including tyres being incorrectly inflated, damaged, badly worn or expired.

The tests – carried out by tyre manufacturer Continental and its regional partner Emirates for Universal Tyres – found 21 cars needed to have all four tyres replaced.

The university challenge, held at American University in Dubai and the University of Dubai, was undertaken as part of Continental’s Vision Zero safety initiative.

According to a Continental-commissioned YouGov survey carried out as part of the campaign, 55 per cent of UAE motorists aged between 18 and 24 admitted they had not checked their tyres in the past month, while 11 per cent thought it ‘not very important’ to have well-maintained tyres.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority recommends that motorists check their tyres twice a month.

The UAE results were obtained from a wider study covering the Arab market to which more than 1,500 people responded.

Ricardo Martins, head of marketing at Continental Middle East, said the results of the research were concerning for all road users.

“The number of young drivers in the UAE who are not taking the health of their tyres seriously should be a worry to all of us,” he said.

“Checking the safety of your vehicle on a regular basis is the responsibility of each and every driver and is one simple way to minimise the risk of road accidents,” he said.

Haitham Al Maaini, acting director of student services at the University of Dubai, said the institute was striving to educate students about the importance of looking after their vehicles.

“We are determined to spread safety awareness among our students and personnel, particularly road safety,” said Mr Al Maaini.

“Our initiatives come in line with the efforts made by UAE authorities to reduce fatalities and protect people’s lives from car accidents mostly caused by high speed driving or using road-unworthy vehicles.”

The Ministry of Interior and National Transport Authority revealed that 468 people died due to road accidents in the UAE in 2018.

It said 45 per cent of accidents were caused by drivers aged between 18 and 30.