Nine die in Abu Dhabi road accidents in one week

Abu Dhabi - Police have urged motorists to drive carefully and strictly abide by traffic laws to avoid crashes.

Nine persons died and nine others sustained serious injuries in road accidents in Abu Dhabi during the past week.
The Abu Dhabi Traffic Police said deaths and injuries happened in 32 major crashes that occurred between April 13 and 19 on various roads in the emirate.
Police said the accidents were mainly caused by tyre-bursts, speeding, negligence, sudden change of lanes, recklessness, poor overtaking and not leaving enough distance between vehicles.
In one of the accidents, four Filipino expatriates, including three men and a woman, were killed in a car crash on Good Friday.
The crash occurred in the morning on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Shahama. Authorities said the six Filipinos were in a four-wheel drive travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for Good Friday-holiday visits to churches, when their vehicle was hit by another vehicle.
Four of them died on the spot, while two women were critically injured.
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Police have urged motorists to drive carefully and strictly abide by traffic laws to avoid crashes that claim lives of innocent road users.
"Motorists should always drive with care, leave enough safe distance between cars, deter from speeding and avoid driving from the hard shoulder," said a police statement.
The Traffic Police said last week that deaths on Abu Dhabi roads decreased by 22 per cent during the first three months of 2017. Authorities said the number of crashes also dropped to 6 per cent during the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police said: "The force was witnessing a steady decrease in the number of fatalities on Abu Dhabi roads despite an increase in the number of cars and new drivers on roads."
The officer attributed the decline in road fatalities to the measures taken by the traffic police, including increasing safety awareness among drivers and other road users and strict enforcement of laws. Al Dhaheri noted that the integrated plan by traffic police, which focuses on traffic control, educational and awareness campaigns, road engineering development, rapid emergency response and healthcare, and continuous evaluation of outcomes and performance indicators have helped in improving traffic safety levels.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi