Recently, while I was sitting in my family car, I noticed this disturbing sight of a cyclist riding on the wrong side of the road. This scene caught my attention as he was also talking on a mobile phone while riding completely unaware of the raving traffic that he was facing. His attention was somewhere else while he was riding his bicycle.

My father was taken aback & struggled to control the car immediately. A disaster was averted. This incident happened in Shuwahein area, Sharjah. As I was sitting beside him I immediately took a picture of the incident so as to spread awareness about this careless attitude.

After the sad death of tri-athlete Roy Nasr, I feel that the cyclists of UAE should be extra cautious as motorists cannot be trusted completely. Motorists should also be aware that the bicycle riders are prone to mistakes thus are vulnerable. Just to take a short cut they cut lanes & drive on the wrong side of the road.

What can be done to prevent this occurrence is very simple.  Authorities must regularize bicycle riders by appropriate licensing. They must undergo a basic training on road safety. They must ride in proper lane with safety gear including florescent jacket, so that they may be spotted easily. It is imperative that they must stick to left side of the road & cross at Zebra crossings only. A minute?s delay may save a precious life. Life is a gift of God not to be wasted casually. I also shared this incident with my national newspaper, Gulf News who published it as a community report