Dubai: The timely intervention of the Emirati woman who rescused a buring truck driver following an accident in Ras Al Khaimah recently has triggered a debate on the status of Good Samaritan acts in the country.
As there are no clear rules about coming to the aid of victims in cases of road and other accidents, many people are confused about what is the right course of action.
Speaking to Gulf News, Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE said that the law here does not recommend people to intervene, which is quite contrary to the standard practice in many European countries.
“In Europe you must help when you are at the scene of an accident, it is against the law if you don’t, but here it is legally not allowed. I think this must change. There should be clarity on this,” said Edelmann.
He said that the culture of helping each other in need should be encouraged.
“Even if one is not certified to do first aid but if you have a vague understanding of how to help, you should help. Because you will do no harm, you will only improve the situation,” he added.
He urged the authorites to change the law in this regard and issue a clear communication on this.
Suggesting one of the ways to improve people’s to abilty help, he said that first aid training should be part of the UAE’s driving courses.
“It takes a certain amount of time for emergency services to arrive and in most cases if someone can attend to the victim during this time it turns out to be crucial,” he said.
