While a recent survey revealed that 79 per cent of UAE residents thought the condition of roads had improved, our safety precautions on the road are still not up to scratch.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) car accidents are the second biggest contributor to fatalities in the UAE, and continue to grow every year. Last year alone there were 4,788 road accidents, yet drivers and passengers are still taking a laissez faire attitude to wearing seat belts.

“Based on a survey we have conducted internally last month amongst chauffer driven cabs, only 57 per cent always wore their seat belts while sitting in the back seat. A very alarming number,” said Thomas Edelmann, Founder and Managing Director at RoadSafetyUAE.

Read: Motorists Reveal Dubai Roads Are Getting More Dangerous

Determined to change this, app-based car service Careem, has decided to tackle “a real UAE concern that has taken the backseat for too long – safety”.

“While others in the industry have been focusing more and more on providing glitz and glamour experiences such as yacht and helicopter rides, Careem is taking a more serious angle and declares May the month of passenger safety”, said Christian Eid, General Manager of Careem UAE.

In a bold, forward-thinking move, Careem has partnered with RoadSafetyUAE’s Thomas Edelmann to help put together a strong safety programme that both raises awareness and rewards customers who pledge to changing bad habits.

Read: 65,000 People Fined For Jaywalking In Dubai

“We are asking all of our customers to formally pledge [on our site] to buckling-up and become advocates for road safety. In return, we have committed to rewarding all pledgers with 25 discount on their next five Careem rides,” said Eid.

As well as this Careem has also empowered its drivers allowing them to refuse passengers should they refuse to buckle up, regardless if they sit in the front or back seat.

Read: Police Introduce New Driving Bans In The UAE

“Careem has empowered its [drivers] to refuse passengers who choose not to buckle-up. In short, if you don’t buckle-up, we will choose not to provide an unsafe trip. Though this might sound drastic, we hope our passengers will value their safety as much as we do and hope that our community will welcome this bold move,” added Eid.

To join the movement along with Careem and RoadSafetyUAE please visit careempledge.com and pledge to BUCKLE-UP!