“Delivery pilots”… from the blind spot to the trap of sudden accidents

Several traffic cases were registered by the Dubai Courts for collisions with delivery motorcycles, in accidents that often occurred for one reason: that the driver of the vehicle causing the accident swerved for a single moment during which he did not see a bike that suddenly appeared from the blind spot in the same lane.

Drivers told Emirates Today that the delivery profession is important and covers the needs of thousands of community members, but there remains a problem in the behavior of some of these bike drivers, as they do not adhere to the lanes and sneak between cars, especially during crowding, which makes it difficult to see them in most cases that lead to accidents.

On the other hand, delivery bike drivers reported that there are car drivers who do not take into account their circumstances or the nature of their profession, and they sometimes behave with delivery bikes with a kind of aggression, bullying, or indifference, acknowledging that there is a group of them who commit unjustified mistakes, as a result of rushing or wanting to carry out the largest number of tasks during their shift.

Dubai Police revealed that the traffic accident index for delivery bikes increased during the past year, with more than 1,000 traffic accidents, compared to 854 accidents in 2024. It also issued about 80,000 traffic violations to motorbike drivers in the “delivery” category, compared to 70,166 violations in 2024, what it considered a continuation of wrong behavior by this category.

To avoid repeated accidents involving delivery bikes, the Roads and Transport Authority, in coordination with Dubai Police, decided to legalize the driving of these bikes on the fast lanes in the streets, starting last November, so that it is prohibited to drive them in the two fast lanes on the far left in streets consisting of five lanes or more, and from driving in the fast lane on the far left on streets consisting of three or four lanes. As for streets consisting of two lanes or less, there is nothing preventing delivery bike drivers from riding on them.

In detail, Emirates Al-Youm monitored repeated cases of collisions with motorcycles (order delivery category), which did not occur as a result of speeding, but rather due to a lane change by the offending vehicle before the bike appeared from a close range not covered by the mirrors (the “blind spot”).

In one of the cases, it was proven from the arrest report and the accident report that a driver drove his vehicle without paying attention, and suddenly swerved without ensuring that the lane was clear, and collided with a motorcycle that was traveling next to him, injuring its driver and damaging both vehicles. The court confirmed that the defendant was at fault based on the technical evidence and the medical report, and ruled to fine him 3,000.

In another case, investigations showed that a female driver changed her lane without checking the road, hitting a motorcycle that was driving alongside her. Inspection reports indicated that the cause of the accident was due to lack of attention while driving, which is what the court concluded by convicting her and fining her the same amount.

As for a third incident, it was proven that a taxi driver swerved his vehicle without paying attention and collided with a motorcycle, injuring its driver and damaging the two vehicles. The lawsuit papers indicated that the error was negligence and failure to take into account road traffic, and the court ruled in absentia to fine him 3,000 dirhams after the accusation was proven.

In a fourth case, its papers combined more than one reason, as the driver did not leave enough distance and did not pay attention to the movement of the road, which led to him colliding with a motorcycle and injuring its driver. The court confirmed that he was at fault, and ruled to convict him and fine him, based on what was stated in the accident reports and technical inspections.

In addition, drivers of vehicles involved in accidents that hit bicycles stated that they had not seen her before the accident occurred. Naglaa Abdel Fattah said that she was driving her car on a side road consisting of only two opposite lanes, and there was absolutely no room for speeding or overtaking, and suddenly her car was hit from the right by a delivery bike, indicating that the bike driver did not care or stop when he hit the car, which prompted her to use the horn to stop him.

She added that he stopped on the side of the road, and a friend of his on another bike followed him, and after stopping, she discovered that he had smashed one side of her car’s mirror, and when she asked him why he did not stop in light of his failure to adhere to the lane and his awareness that he had hit the car, he initially tried to hold her responsible, but he retracted his position when she told him that she would inform the police, who would decide who was responsible, and he began to apologize, seeking forgiveness for his circumstances.

She pointed out that the problem is not the extent of the damage or the behavior of the driver, but rather that she did not see the bike in the first place as it was coming from the invisible point, and she could have harmed her driver and made a mistake greater than simply being hit, pointing out that she bore the bill for repairing the car out of sympathy for him in light of his circumstances.

While Saeed Ali mentioned that he was driving his car on a main street, but he was not fast and slowed down as he approached a traffic signal, and he noticed that a delivery bike was trying to pass in the small space separating it from a car moving to his left in the lane leading to the U-turn, so he tried to make more space for the driver of that bike, but he paid the price for that, as he hit another bike whose driver did the same from the right side, but it was fortunate for him that the collision was light in light of the slow traffic.

He pointed out that he felt angry, as the two cyclists did not adhere to traffic instructions and tried to sneak between cars illegally, and one of them could have been killed or injured and he would bear responsibility for a mistake in which he did not participate.

He stressed that he realizes the importance of this job and has great sympathy for those who perform it, but it is necessary to intensify awareness of these drivers, or regulate their numbers, because they cause great congestion in certain streets and they also compete in an unsafe manner for the speed of delivery.

As for Muhammad Mahmoud, he believes that there are delivery bike drivers who do not have sufficient knowledge of the language of traffic, given that they were only trained to ride bikes without learning how the car works and how to maintain safe distances. In addition, some of them are not fit and do not realize that driving is an art, taste and morals.

He said that he was once on his way from a service street to a main road, and he waited for the opportunity to make sure that the road was clear before entering it, and at that time a delivery bike that he did not see came out from beside him and moved with him at the same time, so he hit it and knocked it to the ground, and he was shocked by the behavior of its driver, who tried to load him by mistake and spoke to him in an inappropriate manner.

For their part, delivery vehicle drivers reported that the nature of the work requires them to move in narrow spaces throughout the day, which increases the possibility of contact with vehicles, especially during crowded times.

They pointed out that they are sometimes exposed to a type of aggression and bullying by vehicle drivers, acknowledging that a group of them sometimes does not comply in light of the desire to deliver orders as quickly as possible, even if it is at the expense of their safety, but it is wrong to generalize and treat them as a heavy burden on the road or an unwanted party.

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500 dirhams, the value of the violation… and it will be increased if repeated

Dubai Police stated that violating drivers will be fined 500 dirhams for the first violation, 700 dirhams if the violation is repeated, and the permit will be suspended if the violation is repeated for the third time. Delivery bike drivers who drive at a speed of more than 100 km/hour on streets with a speed limit of 100 km or more will be fined with a fine of 200 dirhams the first time, and 300 dirhams the next time. The second time, and 400 dirhams the third time.

Traffic statistics showed an alarming increase in the number of motorcycle accidents (delivery orders), as a result of some drivers not adhering to traffic laws, and some of them being reckless on highways, which poses a serious threat to their lives and the safety of other road users, as Dubai Police recorded 854 traffic accidents during the year 2024, compared to about 1,000 accidents during the past year.

• 1,000 accidents involving delivery bikes during 2025, compared to 854 accidents in 2024.

• 80,000 traffic violations for “Delivery” drivers during 2025, compared to 70.1 thousand during 2024.

• Dubai Roads has banned cycling in the two left-most express lanes on streets consisting of 5 or more lanes.