Lower age for UAE driving licence in gear

UAE Interior Ministry meets to discuss various proposals and solutions

By
  • Mohammad El Sadafy
Published

The high-level meeting was chaired by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. (SUPPLIED)

The Ministry of Interior met on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of reducing the legal age for driving licences in the UAE.

The discussions centred around ensuring public safety on the one hand and to enable a specific age group under the age of 18 to drive within a special legal framework.

The  meeting, chaired by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, discussed various proposals and requirements necessary for the project, including a system to control vehicle speed.

Sheikh Saif stressed the importance of serving the people, without risking lives, both for these new motorists and all road users in general.

The council also discussed a number of topics related to development of police work.

The meeting was attended by Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Shafar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander General of Dubai Police, Major General Obaid Al Hairi Salem Al Ketbi; Deputy Commanding General of Abu Dhabi Police, Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Assistant Undersecretary for Resources and Support Services, Brigadier Ali Khalfan, General Manager, Virtual Affairs in Abu Dhabi Police, and the leaders and the Directors-General of Police in the state.

There was no official information on what the new legal age for a licence would be, however, informed sourced put the age at 16.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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Comments

  • Jad mahmoud 28 April 2013 07:06 2 0
    I really think its a good idea to lower the age to 16 because its easier for the parents and easier for the young adults as well. For example what if the parents are busy at work and the young 16 year old has younger needs to be dropped or its an emergency.
  • Anna 14 April 2013 10:40 1 1
    If the age to enter university is 17, I'm sure they are mature enough to drive to their university themselves and not to bother their parents as if they are still in school and not mature enough, taxi charge to get there and bus takes 2 hours. By 16 and 6 months, they should be allowed to start practicing. 17 is quite a mature age.
  • Vicky 13 April 2013 12:33 5 1
    I think this is a very good idea because at the age of 16, a boy/girl is turning into an adult and obviously he or she would be more responsible. And it will be more easier for parents too as they have to ask their parents to drive them here and there.
  • Rey 24 March 2013 20:56 4 3
    Honestly i've been living here as an expat for 17 years now, and yes i have witnessed many car crashes. Therefor i believe that the choice should be up to the parents. Teenagers (young adults) should have the right to take up driving at the age of 16 if their parents consent to it.
  • Pieter De Maaker 24 March 2013 10:06 8 2
    My name is Pieter de Maaker and i highly agree with the decision to lower the driving age. I would love to see more younger people getting involved with the road. And I am positive that all students/drivers will take it seriously and responsibly.
  • Frank 24 March 2013 02:32 1 8
    Personally, in my opinion it's a bad idea. I myself am a 17 year old turning 18 in two months & I'm getting my license then but looking around me I rarely see any 16 year old with a good level of common sense. Of course putting them behind the wheel & handing them that responsibility might change the way they think but essentially you're still handing them the ability to cause harm and more so since at 16, the main "focus" if you will, is to look good infront of everyone else.
  • Zein 23 March 2013 23:04 5 3
    I think the legal age should be 16, it provides us teenagers above 16 yet under 18 the possibility to drive and have independence. No more waiting hours for cabs or placing the burden on our parents to drive us from here to there, we can finally do it ourselves.
  • omar 23 March 2013 22:24 7 3
    i think the driving age should be 16 as 16 year old are aware of the risks so they will be careful which would then teach them to continue driving safe as 18 year old waited long enough and when they get their license they will go crazy and cause accidents because they arent familiar with the risk as much as you would do at the age of 16.
  • Andreas 22 March 2013 00:07 16 4
    I think the minimum age should be 16. If you do a research, you'll see that the countries with a low traffic-related death rate are the countries that allow 16 year olds to drive. It actually makes lots of sense, because teenagers are always excited about new things and looking cool and driving a car is a synonym of coolness, so they often don't know what they are doing in the traffic - they crash, and the death rates just increase. Authorising teenagers from 16 years is the right thing to do.
  • Ali 20 March 2013 19:56 4 13
    The age should be over 17 for the driving licence
  • DK 20 March 2013 17:25 4 16
    The legal age should be 18 itself.
  • John 20 March 2013 16:29 7 18
    Well that's not a very good idea is it? Young people should wait until 18 when they are more responsible. If it is allowed, there will be more fatalities on the UAE roads.
  • xxroadkingxx 20 March 2013 13:39 1 14
    is this true ? we can get our licencse when we are 16 ? :/

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