Hi,
We are doing a stopover in Dubai on the way to Thailand.
Wondering... do we have to bring own car seats for our 2 small children (age 0 and 2 years) for Dubai? What is the law there? In Europe it's very strict, in Thailand car seats are non-existin, how is it in Dubai? We are not renting a car, but we have to take taxis many times...
Thanks,
Agne
No, not necessary by law. People in these countries that have no law about child restraints think that by sitting in the back seat and holding the child on the lap, it is safe - of course it is not safe. The one thing on your side though, is that the traffic in Dubai is so heavy, that cars just crawl along the road slowly anyway. Unless you are planning to travel out of the city, then it is a different story....maniacs with fast cars, long highways and something to prove..it is a deadly mix.
Traffic in Dubai isn't much of a problem any more. The peak was reached in 2006/7 when the situation was as JenniferJ describes it. However nowadays things are very different. A mix of many new roads/highways/bridges being opened to traffic, introduction of Salik on SZR & some bridges, opening of the metro (2nd line to open within 2 weeks from now) and last but not least the economic downturn.
While I cannot confirm the obligation to have a child seat in UAE, it is quite clear that most locals accept their children jumping and crawling all over the car at all times while most western expats are using safe seats for them. Car rental agencies will always have child seats available for you, however they will charge you extra for it. I think every child should be kept as safe as possible and a special seat should always be part of the easy precautionary measures one should think of.