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Ok, I am sure many people have this question. It is just becoming really bad in Dubai. Jaywalking.

Those people that just dart across the road sudddenly in the middle of nowhere. Now god forbid if you cant avoid them and hit them, who's fault is it?

Assuming you were not speeding and/or under the influence, are you released from any charges? The experience alone of hitting/killing someone would be traumatic enough, but where does that leave you? IN jail, owing blood money, for something that wasnt your fault?

Anyone know how it works? I know in Canada if a person jay walks, even if you are speeding and hit him, you are not responsible. I know many people here dont have a choice with the utter lack of crossings and pedestrian unfriendly roads, and its something that needs to be tackled by the authorities ASAP!

Skh Z highway can be a human obstacle course at times.. scary!

I've wondered the same thing too Jag. We've almost hit two guys already because they were wearing dark clothes and were crossing where they shouldn't be - as well as the fact that the lighting near many roads is poor so you can't see what's going on at the sides of the road.

Yep, a guy wrote a letter to the editor a couple of weeks back who landed in jail for hitting someone. He said he wasn't speeding and said what this person attempted to do was not even possible for an elite athlete yet he was put in jail for hitting him.
To run across SZR doesn't say much for your intelligence I'm afraid!

Hi Jag, good to see you back, you seemed to have disappeared for awhile.

Specific to this topic my understanding that you as the driver are at fault if god forbid you hit someone. Even if the person is crossing 8 lanes for SZR.

damn G for an old lady you type way to fast, you beat me to it

Maybe I'm not that old!!

it is always be the drivers fault

I think, it is a matter of proving your innocence!! If memory serves me correctly he was in jail between 1 to 3 days. I think that is the deal here with things-you are jailed until it is sorted.

fayz wrote:Hi Jag, good to see you back, you seemed to have disappeared for awhile.

Specific to this topic my understanding that you as the driver are at fault if god forbid you hit someone. Even if the person is crossing 8 lanes for SZR.

Yep, got crazy busy with work and travelling! Anyways, that really is unfair and scary! They really should review their laws! How you can penalize a safe driver with imprisonment and fines for someone who puts lives in danger by crossing roads, is really beyond me.

In fact, it should be the jaywalker that is fined and imprisoned, not the driver! Unbelievable! It is difficult enough concentrating on the roads here with the speed demons and crazy drivers, let alone worrying about being jailed for hitting someone who shouldnt be crossing a highway!

And what about people who cannot pay the blood money, they rot in jail?? Sick.

jag wrote:
that really is unfair and scary! They really should review their laws! How you can penalize a safe driver with imprisonment and fines for someone who puts lives in danger by crossing roads, is really beyond me.

In fact, it should be the jaywalker that is fined and imprisoned, not the driver! Unbelievable! It is difficult enough concentrating on the roads here with the speed demons and crazy drivers, let alone worrying about being jailed for hitting someone who shouldnt be crossing a highway!

Well I think that while it might turn out to be unfair for some drivers, at the same time, this country needs it! I mean because Dubai has strict laws for such scenario's I personally think drivers take that extra precaution while they drive.
I know, your post is about 'not being in fault' but probably... one has to just pay for their bad fate in this case . God Forbid

easternjewel wrote:

jag wrote:
that really is unfair and scary! They really should review their laws! How you can penalize a safe driver with imprisonment and fines for someone who puts lives in danger by crossing roads, is really beyond me.

In fact, it should be the jaywalker that is fined and imprisoned, not the driver! Unbelievable! It is difficult enough concentrating on the roads here with the speed demons and crazy drivers, let alone worrying about being jailed for hitting someone who shouldnt be crossing a highway!

Well I think that while it might turn out to be unfair for some drivers, at the same time, this country needs it! I mean because Dubai has strict laws for such scenario's I personally think drivers take that extra precaution while they drive.
I know, your post is about 'not being in fault' but probably... one has to just pay for their bad fate in this case . God Forbid

I'm afraid I dont agree with this. I agree that people should definitely pay/be jalied if they were driving recklessly or speeding, or drunk etc.. but to make someone suffer and pay because of the stupidity/recklessness of a pedestrian who endagers his life and those of the drivers, is just wrong.

Have to agree-it is a no-brainer! Crossing the road in the first place indicates that someone is about five beers short of a six pack.

easternjewel wrote:

jag wrote:
that really is unfair and scary! They really should review their laws! How you can penalize a safe driver with imprisonment and fines for someone who puts lives in danger by crossing roads, is really beyond me.

In fact, it should be the jaywalker that is fined and imprisoned, not the driver! Unbelievable! It is difficult enough concentrating on the roads here with the speed demons and crazy drivers, let alone worrying about being jailed for hitting someone who shouldnt be crossing a highway!

Well I think that while it might turn out to be unfair for some drivers, at the same time, this country needs it! I mean because Dubai has strict laws for such scenario's I personally think drivers take that extra precaution while they drive.
I know, your post is about 'not being in fault' but probably... one has to just pay for their bad fate in this case . God Forbid

i agree with eastern jewel.
unfortunately, when it comes to laws, there are no gray areas.
i believe its not illegal to cross the roads especially where there are no bridges for the pedestrians.

once the accident has happened, its quite difficult to prove whether it was the driver or the pedestrian who was at fault...
the matter could go to the court and take a long time to get resolved..

i can understand, we all get pissed of by movements of the pedestrians crossing the roads especially in residential areas.
but if you give it a thought, its in the best interest of all of us to have strict laws in this regard.
relaxing such laws would never help you but may lead to a much higher accident rate in the uae.

its the infrastructure which should take care of this .... but the laws should be strict anyway.

ajoy wrote:

easternjewel wrote:

jag wrote:
that really is unfair and scary! They really should review their laws! How you can penalize a safe driver with imprisonment and fines for someone who puts lives in danger by crossing roads, is really beyond me.

In fact, it should be the jaywalker that is fined and imprisoned, not the driver! Unbelievable! It is difficult enough concentrating on the roads here with the speed demons and crazy drivers, let alone worrying about being jailed for hitting someone who shouldnt be crossing a highway!

Well I think that while it might turn out to be unfair for some drivers, at the same time, this country needs it! I mean because Dubai has strict laws for such scenario's I personally think drivers take that extra precaution while they drive.
I know, your post is about 'not being in fault' but probably... one has to just pay for their bad fate in this case . God Forbid

i agree with eastern jewel.
unfortunately, when it comes to laws, there are no gray areas.
i believe its not illegal to cross the roads especially where there are no bridges for the pedestrians.

once the accident has happened, its quite difficult to prove whether it was the driver or the pedestrian who was at fault...
the matter could go to the court and take a long time to get resolved..

i can understand, we all get pissed of by movements of the pedestrians crossing the roads especially in residential areas.
but if you give it a thought, its in the best interest of all of us to have strict laws in this regard.

relaxing such laws would never help you but may lead to a much higher accident rate in the uae.

its the infrastructure which should take care of this .... but the laws should be strict anyway.

Again, no. It is NOT fair to drivers who are obeying the rules of the road and driving safely. If you are drving safely, within the speed limit, and a guy just darts across the road infront of you, you have a pretty small chance of avoiding him, and while you try your best to avoid him, you can cause injury to yourself and your passengers, as well as fellow motorists.

I agree that the law should be strict and should penalize errant drivers thereby keeping the roads safer, but to charge someone who is obeying the rules due to a careless pedestrian.. well, sorry folks, that is not right. In the west, where traffic is much smoother and more civilized than here, it has been this way for a while, that if the pedestrian crosses the road unsafely, that is a risk he or she is taking with her life, and they can even be charged for endangering other people's lives.

And the laws shouldnt be relaxed but should be defined that anyone crossing does so at their own risk, while still punishing speeding or errant drivers.

And it is illegal to cross roads at undesignated areas, common thats just common sense mate!! If there are no pedestrian bridges, thats something the authorities need to look into, and not create undue anguish for law abiding motorists.

And yes, its true it can be difficult to prove whos fault it is if an accident occurs.. which is why it is better that person isnt crossing the road in the first place!

P.S. Another peeve are those people on bicycles travelling in the opposite direction on the road!!

Have to agree with Jag and GAB, how can it be the drivers fault when you have some looney trying to run across Shk Zayed road? There's constant traffic and these people are taking their lives in their hands.

If an accident happens at a pedestrian crossing however that's a different story, as we all know that man y drivers fail to stop and let people cross.

Basically there aren't enough pedestrian crossings, underpasses or bridges so you're going to get people trying to cross these freeways, and that's infrastructure which needs dealing with.

The cyclists are mental, much of the time they have no lights, wear dark clothing and if you're driving in a dimly lit area, sorry to say very often you don't see them until you see the whites of their eyes - scary!

P.S. Another peeve are those people on bicycles travelling in the opposite direction on the road!!

Oh yeah!! It isn't just me it absolutely pees off!! Especially when I am about to exit the service road to go on to the main road and I've got to watch for the moronic twit cycling in front of me going in the wrong direction down the main road!!

and without lights