It may be shocking to some of us, but the UAE has been ranked as the sixth best place to drive in the world.
“Wait, what? But the drivers here are crazy,” we hear you say.
And yes, we often agree. However, the survey conducted by driving app Waze doesn’t take into consideration driver skill.
Each country was given a score from one to 10 in six categories – Traffic Rating, Road Safety Rating, Driver Services Rating, Quality Rating, Socio-Economic Rating and Wazey Rating.
The average was then calculated to give each country its score.
The results were as follows:
1. The Netherlands – 7.54
2. France – 7.42
3. United States – 7.22
4. Czech Republic – 6.91
5. Sweden – 6.88
6. United Arab Emirates – 6.85
7. Latvia – 6.57
8. Hungary – 6.56
9. Slovakia – 6.46
10. Italy – 6.44
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Well, some were surprised with the UAE’s high ranking, but Dubai’s sub-forum on Reddit tried to rationalise the country’s standing.
User anotherdxbguy said: “Well in all fairness, the quality of the road infrastructure IS probably the best I’ve seen in the world.”
User yopla shared similar views, saying: “This year I went to Turkey, Egypt, Philippines and India and I can only say that driving in the UAE is a pleasure in comparison to those pits of madness and traffic jam.”
Granted, the UAE’s ‘Wazey Rating’, which ranks users happiness with the driving situation, is incredibly low compared to other countries, sitting at 2.43 out of 10.
Community-based traffic and navigation app Waze analysed the driving experience of millions of active monthly Waze users in 38 countries to give each nation their individual score.
Waze has more than 65 million monthly active users in 185 countries, but only took into consideration countries with more than 20,000 monthly users for the rankings.
But wait, change is coming
According to survey published earlier this year, 65 per cent of those questioned were unhappy with their daily commute in the UAE, complaining it has become longer when compared to six months ago.
The survey, commissioned by Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) and RoadSafetyUAE, also found that 56 per cent said driving had become more dangerous in the past six months, even though 79 per cent thought the condition of roads had improved.
However Dubai’s road network is currently undergoing a huge revamp, so things may soon change (and for the better, we hope).
The emirate is set to get a vast amount of new or improved roads, bridges and marine stations as part of the Traffic and Transportation Plan 2030, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced last month.
The plan includes more ‘walkable’ streets, expanded metro stations, new flyovers and more marine crossing – check out our full breakdown of the upcoming changes here.
Image: Getty
