by As summer peaks in the UAE, road accidents historically increase. Car crashes are common as temperatures rise due to multiple reasons. The extreme tarmac temperatures in the UAE have been notorious in causing tyre bursts that impact road safety. Hot climes also produce many driver performance-related issues that increase road accidents. Accidents that cause violent skids can increase mortality rates manifold.
Studies show that extreme heat can increase the chances of accidents by over 2.9% daily. Driver related accidents go up by 7.7 %. Surprisingly, heat-induced accidents increase by about 1.1% with each centigrade rise in temperature. UAE bears the brunt of harsh summers, and many components lead to nearly double the number of fatalities during road accidents in this period.
UAE road accidents in summer-causes and remedies
The Khaleej Times has reported that about 5% of the total death toll in road accidents is due to heat-related tyre bursts that cause road accidents. The primary culprits are poor tyre management, incorrect inflation pressure, alignment issues and poor wheel balance. When these problems are coupled with unmitigated speeding, the probability of having an accident is compounded. Add to it the haze that the intense heat creates on the road and makes it challenging to comprehend the markings and disaster looms imminent.
Another potential accident trap is the road surface buckling in the heat. The concrete can get insanely hot when temperatures zoom. Trucks can hit the buckled road at high speeds and cause considerable damage to the truck and cause deaths too. If the speed is not limited, it is common for pile-ups to be induced with huge fatalities.
The answer to this enormous gap is to keep your truck in tip-top condition. It is imperative that you check tyres regularly and replace as and when necessary. Servicing is paramount as only then can you deem the vehicle safe to drive when road conditions are adverse. It would help if you strived to keep mirrors clean so that visibility is there. The driver should use anti-glare sunglasses and stay hydrated to be in peak form. You should limit speed by installing speed limiters so that in the unfortunate case of an accident potential deaths can be avoided. Life is precious, especially when the world is already reeling under the deluge of loss to human life caused by the Corona Virus.
Use of speed limiters can reduce fatalities in summer
Speed limiters are mandatorily installed in trucks, minibuses and other vehicles as per safety requirements in the UAE. The law of Physics is simple: when a vehicle is speeding and loses control due to a tyre bursting, the damage is more pronounced. The driver loses control of the vehicle, and the situation could result in a potentially fatal accident.
The answer to all the problems that summer brings to road safety in the UAE can be minimized by reducing the speed of the vehicle. At moderate speeds, even if accidents do occur, fatality and damage is manageable. A speed limiter is the most sensible way to ensure that the driver is not tempted to leverage speed to complete the journey quickly. Large trucks are heavy and can be dangerous when they skid or turn turtle at high speeds. Install a speed limiter today to save lives on the road.
