Smoking ban plan revealed for Dubai motorists

CAR BAN: Motorists in Dubai could soon be prevented from smoking in their vehicles. (Getty Images)

Dubai could soon become the first city in the Middle East to outlaw smoking while driving a car.

The Dubai Road Safety Strategy, being prepared by a Sweden-based consultancy company, is likely to be implemented next year, say transport chiefs.

The strategy would focus on several traffic safety issues, including smoking while driving, Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday, quoting Hussain Mohammed Al Banna, director of Traffic Department at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

However, the official declined to comment on the kind of penalty, if any, to be imposed on violators.

He said there are many initiatives being undertaken by the RTA and Dubai Police relating to road safety and the new strategy would cover all the aspects with various legislations and enforcement.

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Smoking ban for motorists
Posted by suhail, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 09:01 UAE time

The Dubai government should now ban the selling of cigarettes as well.
This is the most pathetic of pathetic rules aimed at further inconveniencing smokers. Smokers have become outcasts in all places whereby non smokers have the liberty to do what they want. Stopping of smoking is cosmetic, deal with the real deal first.

Smoking ban plan revealed for Dubai motorists
Posted by Mel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday 22 August 2008 at 15:02 UAE time

I hope this ban includes members of government organizations. I am a driver too and often I have observed police officers smoking whilst driving. They should not get away with this also like they get away with everything else.

Those people pf the law (police) try to enforce all the rules and issue fines to implement their laws but they are constantly breaking the law themselves and nobody stops them. Speaking about traffice violation, I dont think its right to stop people from smoking in a vehicle which they completely maintain unless the government is will willing to provide a subsidiary to all vehicle owners to maintain their cars then rules will become valid. Also, dubai taxi drivers and police are the worst violators on the roads. They talk on mobile phones, changes lanes without following road regulations, speed like there is no other traffic on the road except theirs, taxi's expecially stop in unallocated zones in the middle of main roads to pick up passengers. what happen to taxi and bus stops where this was supposed to take place.

Further to that, the main reason for accidents is that Dubai is practically a construction site, 99% of the roads are under construction, and there are not enough roads for people to travel througho. If you are coming out of a hard days work into a heavy traffic because you are always being redirected by construction signboards, it provokes the driver to drive recklessly because he is tiired and frustrated and want to get home to rest. The first thing to control is the manner in which construction takes place in this country instead of trying to invade peoples personal space in their own vehicle.

To top it off, companies are not providing employees with staff accommodation. Dubai Government should do somthing about that. Foreign people come to Dubai with the expectation of being taken care of by the employer. Employers give a house allowance small enough to buy food for one month and the employee is expected to pay rent, travel and eat out of that alowance leaving them to pay for little match box rooms or bed space in villas so the muncipality can come and give two weeks notice before they can cut off water and electricity supply from them. How is anyone supposed to find a place on two weeks with the apartments being so high priced in this country and so much rules are being placed aginst staying in villas rented out by local residence and companies paying low allowances for live out expenses.... This is the five star hospitality services dubai offers to foreign nationals in their country.

Government officials should take more care to provide better facilities to foreigners employed inthsi country instead of trying to take more and more away from them

Smoking Ban
Posted by muhammad, dubai, uae on Friday 22 August 2008 at 13:13 UAE time


Why is it that only smoking is being targeted as compared to many other evils such as Drinking and related activities which are much more harmful and against the teachings of Islam.??????????

I my self dislike smoking and of course Drinking also.

Will This Also Stop Smoke-Spewing Cars and Soot-Belching Trucks?
Posted by Louie Tedesco, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 21 August 2008 at 12:16 UAE time


Comments from GloryB hit the nail on the head once again. This article is a either poor attempt to fill a summer news void or simple entertainment to fluster the readership and provoke discussion? The ridiculous comments produced by some other readers are a reflection on their narrow-minded views - the heck with my own safety and health, let's beat up on something which doesn’t affect me at all, namely the poor nicotine-addicted soul puffing away in the confined space of his own vehicle.

After seeing VMD's (Vehicle of Mass Destruction) with black-tinted windows driving at night, witnessing wild animals (a young tiger and a cheetah in different vehicles on different occasions) sitting on the front seat of 4x4's and uniformed staff who "serve and protect" not setting the example by showing us how VMD-owners typically drive - I've seen it all. Such stories will fill the chapters of some yet to be published book.

Distinguished reporters and editors would do better to raise critical questions as to the long term debilitating health effects of the local environment which is getting worse every year. Ten years in a coal mine or changing asbestos-dust laden parts won't kill you now, it'll kill you once you've returned home to your well deserved retirement. Hopefully your national health care provider will be a good one or you've saved up for the medical treatments? While we can leave, the local population must stay here with the disastrous long-term health consequences.

Smoking ban plan revealed for Dubai motorists
Posted by A.Nasser, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 21 August 2008 at 11:53 UAE time


How can you ban someone from smoking in the car they are paying for, putting petrol in and insuring. Why don't we just ban, drinking water, eating crisps, chocolate or anything that might 'drop on the floor' and cause the driver to lose concentration. Lets get real here!
Dictatorship? Please allow them to do as they wish within their own property. By the way, I don't smoke!

I fully AGREE!
Posted by safa, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 21 August 2008 at 10:29 UAE time

I wish Smoking would be banned full stop!

Smoking is the main cause of tragic deaths. What hurts is that passive smokers are the innocent victims for the selfish act of smokers!!

Well Done Dubai! Thumbs -Up!

Ban smoking in your own home!!
Posted by Lee Mancini, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 21 August 2008 at 09:34 UAE time

They may as well go all the way and ban smoking in your own home.

Sort out others problems first.
Posted by angelo, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 21 August 2008 at 07:50 UAE time

This is a real Smoke screen - Target real offenders - tailgaters non tested vehicles - HGV's with bald tyres / tires (English or Americanese) HGV's using remolds that litter the roads, Lane hoppers, Mobile users whilst driving - Babies on laps in the front seats - children not even sat down on booster seats. Lorries overloaded, loads not properly secured.
Think ! take away construction vehicles and the roads are relatively empty - Emirates road for HGV''s only and keep them off other main routes. Sort out round abouts where lorries have to cut across lanes inviting collisions. Building erected with no parking space in busy parts of town - Will the rule really apply to ALL. RTA employ someone who knows what they are doing and can plan . Rant over. I need a cigarette and a coffee.

Smoking abd Driving
Posted by Gloryb, Sharjah, UAE on Wednesday 20 August 2008 at 22:11 UAE time


Let's get serious here - smoking while driving is the least of the problems confronting people who are hassled by tailgaters, speedsters, people talking on mobile phones, watching televisions, driving with feet up on the dashboard ............... the list goes on.
If the government wants to tackle it as a health issue ban the import/selling of all tobacco products ........... but then again there are many other factors that are more dangwerous than smoking too - air pollution from construction dust/industry/traffic fumes/ fast foods.
For some people on lower incomes smoking is a small pleasure.
What's next to be taken away from a person's right to choose their lifestyle?

Banning smoking! can you see me smoke behind these black windows??
Posted by Barry, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Wednesday 20 August 2008 at 21:06 UAE time

Well this must be an April fools joke ...like Christmas in July!!! how; pray tell, are you even going to see the person smoking through the windows when so many have blackened windows!! Oops, forgot they only have 30% tint so that will not be a problem!! if there is no punitive measure, why bother making it a law and trying to catch offenders when there is plenty more pro-active things the police can do to reduce accidents?!
Never the less; do they really think this is going to solve the high accident rate? why not start by using the police as a highway patrol and punishing the high speed offenders for a start; at least you can see them.

What Hypocricy!
Posted by John Doe on Wednesday 20 August 2008 at 19:24 UAE time


RTA should get their act together first from driving license issues to the pathetic road network for such a small country, smoking in the car is prob the best thing to do while driving on these roads!

Mind your own business!
Posted by Slim Jim on Wednesday 20 August 2008 at 17:44 UAE time


It would be more sensible to ban all men under 25 from driving - as a group they are much more likely to cause accidents than smokers.

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