Oman transport: Defensive drivers win praise from ROP

Muscat: Drivers who go out of their way to protect others have been praised by Oman’s traffic police.
A statement by ROP Traffic, said, “If you want to compare your driving, a preventative driver is the exact opposite of a transgressing driver. It’s a model form of driving, where you never cause someone to suffer, and a preventative driver is someone, who focuses on achieving ‘vision zero,’ where no one is ever hurt due to his driving.”
A spokesperson said, “Preventative driving is about going above and beyond to keep the road safe. It’s not about avoiding your own mistakes; it’s about making sure that everyone’s mistakes on the road have a smaller chance of affecting you or others.”
“At night, the car’s lights can reach up to 300 metres. You should try and look beyond that, just in case there is a bad driver coming from the other side. If the speed limit is 100, don’t drive at 115, just below where you’d be caught by a radar. Lowering your speed by just 15 per cent can lower your chances of having an accident by up to 30 per cent. That’s a big difference. We also tried to focus on specific things a driver can do, rather than generic messages, such as ‘don’t kill’ or ‘be careful,’” the spokesperson added.
“I’m hoping to eventually start making video infographics to promote the idea of Vision Zero.”
“Let me explain: Vision Zero is not a traffic police goal. It’s a personal goal we want every driver to apply to himself, and it’s only achievable through preventative driving.”
“We are trying to approach road safety through the physics of a running vehicle, as well as basic human behaviour. That is why we are careful about the terms we use. There’s a difference between saying, ‘avoid extreme speeds’ and ‘avoid excessive speeding.’
“Because of these ideas, preventative driving is different from defensive driving.”
Defensive driving was, according to an earlier statement, “Driving in a way that employs safety strategies in order to predict and avoid dangerous situations on the road, and goes beyond the basic laws.”
The statement added, “For example, you should check that your lights work before driving, and don’t drive when tired.”