Legend Wasim Akram in Dubai explains how road safety is like cricket…

Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricket legend, endorses the cause of road safety in the UAE.

Akram’s message addresses the lack of a caring attitude, a root cause of reckless driving, resulting in avoidable accidents, injuries and fatalities.

“Cricket is a team sport. To be successful, one must interact with others around and need to assess their moves and intent. You need to closely watch out and care for each other. We are in it together, as a team. Exactly the same applies on the roads,” says Akram

“Watch out for others around you, anticipate their moves and care for them. Caring means to be generous, polite and well mannered. We do not wish to be rude, reckless or conceited. This is what I do when on the road and I invite all my followers to exhibit the same manners. You have to lead by an example. I drive safe and care for others around me, do you?” he adds.

Akram’s support comes timely, as it supports the aggressive targets of the UAE government’s ‘UAE Vision 2021’ to reduce road traffic fatalities from 5.99/100,000 inhabitants (end 2015) to 3.00 by 2021.

Recent studies published by RoadSafetyUAE in 2016 show, that 56 per cent of motorists claim our roads have become more dangerous.

Statistics show that, in Dubai, Pakistani nationals represent the biggest group of motorists causing accidents (24 per cent), resulting in 24 per cent of the overall fatalities and for 21 per cent of the overall injuries.

According to the Ministry of Interior in the UAE, the number one cause for road-related accidents and deaths is swerving, followed by poor decisions made by drivers, and not keeping enough distance between cars.

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