Plan to cut motorway speed limit in UAE by 10kph

ABU DHABI // The days of driving faster than the speed limit on roads without seeing a radar flash may be about to end.

The buffer that allows drivers to exceed the posted limit by up to 20kph could be removed under proposals put forward by the Federal Traffic Council.

“The official speed limit is 120kph, but drivers can reach up to 140kph,” said Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen, head of the council. “We’re proposing setting the maximum speed limit to 130kph, with no buffer.”

Dr Salaheddine Bendak, associate professor at the department of industrial engineering at the University of Sharjah, backed the plan.

“The 140kph speed limit is too high, based on research findings from countries with driving behaviour similar to the UAE,” Dr Bendak said. “But I think the speed limit should remain at 120kph, while the buffer should be reduced to 10kph.

“Not having a buffer will create problems for drivers and is a very rare practice.”

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