Fujairah Named the UAE’s Most Driver-Friendly City

How about Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

Bin Yaber Driving Institute ranked seven UAE cities based on seven key traffic-flow and risk indicators to determine which city offers the safest and most efficient driving experience in the country. Fujairah emerged as the safest and least congested city, whereas Abu Dhabi and Dubai have heavier traffic, more frequent accidents, and graver accident outcomes. The UAE Driver-Friendly Index evaluates road performance by standardising seven indicators from TomTom and the UAE.Stat onto a 0–100 scale. A higher score means a better driving experience. Our model prioritises safety over convenience, assigning a 76% total weight to safety indicators and a 24% weight to traffic efficiency. This safety-first weighting reflects our mission to ensure road safety for all and ensures final rankings reflect road risk and survivability as the primary measure of a city's driver-friendliness.

The UAE’s Most Driver-Friendly Cities

Fujairah has emerged as the UAE’s most driver-friendly city, while Abu Dhabi and Dubai rank sixth and seventh, respectively.  

Table 1. The Driver-Friendly Index ranking of 7 UAE cities.

1. Fujairah

Fujairah tops the rankings with a Driver-Friendly Index score of 96.7 out of a possible 100. Commuters in Fujairah benefit from excellent efficiency. It has the UAE’s second-lowest congestion level (23%), the fastest average speed (36.6 km/h), and the fewest hours lost to traffic jams (29 hours per year). Fujairah roads are safe. It doesn’t register the fewest accidents; Umm Al Quwain (63) and Ajman (133) have fewer. Even so, Fujairah has a low share of severe accidents across the UAE (6%) and the lowest fatality rate (3%), with only 7 of the 202 total injuries recorded. Insight: The speedy travel and low congestion in Fujairah can probably be attributed to the emirate’s massive push to expand road infrastructure and capacity as part of the Fujairah 2040 Plan. Meanwhile, its excellent safety metrics reflect the Fujairah Police’s road safety initiatives, including AI-powered enforcement systems. For instance, Fujairah uses surveillance cameras that can detect distracted driving behaviours.

2. Ajman

Ajman ranks second overall with a Driver-Friendly Index score of 83.7 out of a possible 100. It scores particularly well on speed, earning a second-best score of 94.4 due to its 36.1 km/h average speed. However, it is significantly more congested than Fujairah. In fact, Ajman’s congestion rate (34%) is 11% higher than Fujairah’s, resulting in 17 additional hours lost to traffic annually (46 hours compared to Fujairah’s 29). That said, its low fatality rate (8%) and low share of severe accidents (5%) indicate better performance across the weightier safety outcome indicators. This has pushed Ajman to the top of the driver-friendliness index. Insight: Ajman’s stellar traffic safety performance can probably be attributed to its traffic safety campaigns, intensified traffic patrols, and tighter police control on the roads.

3. Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah holds a solid middle-ground position, ranking third with a Driver-Friendly index score of 80.0 out of a possible 100. Ras Al Khaimah scores well on traffic flow indicators, registering the third-lowest congestion level (24%), the third-best average speed (35.2 km/h), and the second-lowest time lost annually to rush hour traffic (33 hours). The driving public moves smoothly and efficiently on Ras Al Khaimah’s roads. However, 65% of the registered traffic accidents in Ras Al Khaimah are either moderate or severe, with a death toll of 30, which gives it a fatality rate of 9%. This drags down Ras Al Khaimah’s indicative fatality and degree of injury scores. Insight: A news report on fatal road accidents in Ras Al Khaimah cited the commander-in-chief of the RAK Police, who attributed these incidents to distracted driving, speeding regardless of road conditions, sudden swerving, tailgating, and general recklessness.

4. Sharjah

Sharjah is the fourth most driver-friendly city, with an index score of 61.4 out of a possible 100. Sharjah records the UAE's worst congestion level at 50%, with drivers losing 79 hours annually to rush-hour gridlocks and an average speed of 30.5 km/h. However,  Sharjah is relatively safe. Its lower-than-average (but higher-than-median) fatality rate (9%), median-level severe accident share (13%), and near-median moderate accident share (6%)—the most heavily weighted metrics, as safety comes first—successfully raise its index score and ranking for driver friendliness. Insight: Sharjah’s elevated congestion level may be explained by a considerable workforce based in Sharjah commuting to Dubai daily for work. Sharjah also serves as an indispensable transit corridor between the southern/southwestern emirates and the northern/northeastern emirates.

5.  Umm Al Quwain

Umm Al Quwain ranks fifth with a Driver-Friendly Index score of 60.0 out of a possible 100. Umm Al Quwain has low safety risks, standing out with the lowest accident share across all severity categories: 2% severe, 1% moderate, and 1% minor. It also has the lowest congestion level (21.7%), with drivers losing only 33 hours annually to rush-hour traffic. However, what pushes its index score down is its safety outcome. It records only 63 accidents (Dubai has 2,607) but 16 deaths, which means a disproportionately high (25%) fatality rate. Note that the median fatality rate among the seven cities is only 8%.   Insight: Clear roads due to low congestion can induce people to drive at higher speeds. This can lead to more severe consequences if an accident does happen. Congested cities may actually have a safety advantage as congestion naturally restricts speed. However, the greatest contributor to its high fatality rate is likely Umm Al Quwain’s small population, which means fewer vehicles on the road, lower congestion, and fewer accidents. Because of the lower number of accidents, a single multi-fatality incident can substantially inflate traffic fatality rates.

6. Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi ranked sixth, with a Driver-Friendly Index score of 49.7 out of 100. Abu Dhabi has median-level congestion (30%), yet traffic is slowest there, with an average speed of 27.7 km/h, and drivers lose a higher-than-median 57 hours to traffic annually. In terms of safety metrics, Abu Dhabi records 1,850 road accidents. The sheer volume of incidents naturally means it has a bigger share of severe (26%) and moderate (40%) accidents. However, it has a below-median fatality rate (7%).   Insight: Abu Dhabi’s low congestion but slow average speed reflects strict traffic control measures, such as a zero-buffer policy on speed limits and dynamic speed-limit throttling based on road safety risks. The superblock grid design also results in an abundance of low-speed internal roads. The tighter enforcement of speed limits in Abu Dhabi is probably why the severity of injuries from traffic accidents is mostly minor to moderate, and the fatality rate remains relatively low.

7. Dubai

Dubai ranks at the bottom with a Driver-Friendly Index score of just 39.6 out of 100. Drivers in Dubai face a 43% congestion level, lose up to 72 hours per year sitting in rush-hour traffic, and face the highest safety risks, with Dubai accounting for the lion’s share (47%) of accidents across all severity categories (36% of severe, 44% of moderate, and 53% of minor accidents). Despite recording the highest number of road accidents, Dubai maintains a remarkably low fatality rate of 5%—the second-best performance among all the cities compared. Insight: Dubai’s large accident share is understandable given its high vehicle volume. The high number of students at the Bin Yaber driving school in Dubai confirms this. The data also says there are around 3.5 million vehicles plying Dubai’s roads in the daytime. The complexity of its multi-lane interchanges also likely contributes to the risk. It can lead tourists unfamiliar with Dubai’s roads (but driving on the merit of their International Driving Permit or an authorised foreign light motor vehicle license) and distracted drivers to commit mistakes. However, it’s worthwhile to consider Dubai’s incommensurably low fatality rate, which may be attributed to the city’s focus on improving emergency response times. The Dubai Police has already attained an average response time of 2 minutes and 7 seconds in the third quarter of 2025. Smart systems, such as the Drone Box initiative and autonomous mobile patrols, are expected to further reduce emergency response times.

Divergent Driving Experiences Across the Emirates

The report reveals a profound difference in driver experience across the Emirates. Fujairah has near-perfect scores in speed, safety, and efficiency, likely due to roads that are not at capacity. It is a model city worthy of emulation in terms of driving experience. The major hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are congested, with a high incidence of accidents due to the sheer volume of vehicles. However, accidents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are highly survivable (i.e., less likely to be fatal). In Dubai’s case, the low fatality rate is due to its highly efficient emergency response, which is powered by intelligent systems. In Abu Dhabi’s case, it is due to a system that enforces discipline, throttling speed in favour of safety. Umm Al Quwain is an outlier. It is the least congested, with minimal time lost to rush-hour traffic, and it accounts for the smallest share of accidents. However, its non-congested roads can lead to speeding accidents, and the low number of accidents means a single multi-fatality accident can gravely inflate its fatality rate. For the millions of commuters in Sharjah, the data confirms a harsh reality: they are trapped in a low-efficiency bottleneck, losing the equivalent of two full workweeks every year on their commute to and from Dubai. Perhaps it’s time for people to consider moving closer to their workplaces.

Methodology

The UAE Driver-Friendly Index combines traffic conditions and road safety into a single, comprehensive ranking. The model uses seven indicators:

• Congestion level
• Time lost during rush hour
• Average speed
• Fatality rate
• Severe accident share
• Moderate accident share
• Minor accident share 

Traffic indicators (e.g., congestion level, time lost during rush hour, and average speed) measure the smoothness and efficiency of each city's road network. These values were sourced from the TomTom Traffic Index for 2025. Accident indicators (e.g., fatality rates and accident shares) represent risks and safety outcomes. Data for these indicators were sourced from or calculated using the Number of Traffic Injuries by Emirate and Degree of Injury dataset for 2023 in UAE.Stat, a platform managed by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre of the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs.  Since the indicators use different units of measurement, all values were converted to standardised scores on a 0–100 scale, with higher scores indicating better, safer driving conditions. The final Driver-Friendly Index is calculated using weighted averages. Greater importance is assigned to safety outcomes, particularly the fatality rate, in accordance with the philosophy that road survivability is more important than convenience, though traffic flow remains an integral component of the overall driving experience. The following weights were applied, reflecting each indicator’s influence on the final index score:

• Congestion level: 8
• Time lost during rush hour: 8
• Average speed: 8
• Fatality rate (the ratio of deaths to total injuries): 35
• Severe accident share: 20
• Moderate accident share: 13
• Minor accident share: 8