A car signals left
67% said they indicate 'almost every time' Getty

A new survey in the UAE has revealed that 9% of drivers in the Gulf country think that using indicators while driving is 'a sign of weakness'. The survey conducted by YouGov also said that 16% thought that not indicating showed a driver to be experienced.

The survey included 1,000 drivers from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 23% said that they did not indicate because they were "distracted by traffic"; 16% said they were simply not in the habit of indicating and 11% said that indicating was not normal in their home countries.

67% of respondents said they used the indicator "almost every time" but think that only 15% of other motorists act the same way. These numbers are more surprising when taking into account that 90% of respondents said that using indicators increased road safety.

Frederik Bisbjerg, Executive Vice President MENA Retail, QIC Insured, said: "We're quite surprised to see that almost all acknowledge that using the indicator increases road safety, but only 15 % are seen to actually use the indicator when driving – it seems like an easy win for safer roads."

"Continued awareness initiatives are needed to remind motorists that the non-use of indicators does not only break the law, which comes with traffic fines and black points, but it is also impolite, inconsiderate and dangerous," said Thomas Edelmann, Founder and Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE.

Differences were noticable between different age groups, with 95% of 30-34-year-olds saying that using indicators increased road safety, while amongst 18-24-year-olds that decreased to 84%.

The survey of 1,000 UAE residents was conducted by YouGov and led by RoadSafetyUAE and QIC Insured. The survey is part of a effort to tackle 'lane swerving', said to be the number one cause of death of UAE roads, causing 21% of fatalities in 2015.