The UAE traffic is not under Emirates' control. It should be mentioned that they have been highly supportive to those who have suffered tragedy
Nonetheless, the traffic should be seriously considered before moving to Dubai. Its level of risk for death or serious injury surpasses any other city I have driven in by a wide margin.
There have been tragic losses to the families of pilots and one should also consider those flight attendants that have lost their lives on these roads.
Almost everyone call recount a number of very near misses that might well have resulted in their fatality. Fate is certainly the hunter. There are almost daily incidents, to someone in our profession, where minor injury or damage occurs through no fault of their own. These are traumatic and expensive for those concerned.
Aside from this, driving is unpleasant and tedious. The volume of heavy traffic is intimidating; convoys of large trucks moving at high speed, interspaced with frustrated drivers manoevring recklessly around them. Occassional suicidal drivers moving at ridiculous velocities in large saloons or SUV's. All this against a backdrop of tangled interchanges, badly controlled intersections, confusing or inadequate signs, road works, diversions and thousands of red cones or barriers that are poorly lit or advertised.
It is tiring and stressful. I believe it to be more stressful than we give credit for.
The reasons are multiple: Expansion and poor planning, inadequate policing, insufficient regulation, unaccountability of a chosen few, low levels of education for the majority of drivers, windshield tinting. The list goes on.
Its not likely to change much in the near future. Given the proposed expansion there is a strong case that it will get markedly worse. Certainly it has got steadily worse in the past ten years.
Those of us already here must simply weigh up the risks against everything else. For those considering moving to Dubai, I would recommend a few days of driving around to see for yourselves. Look at the routes your family may have to take at relevant times.
As requested, I will be taking the minute of silence at 16:35, Dubai time, in respect to the family of one of our most highly regarded Captains, to contemplate their tragic loss.