Abu Dhabi - Speeding, fatigue, recklessness and sudden change of lanes were blamed for many accidents.
Published: Mon 24 Sep 2018, 7:00 PM
Last updated: Tue 25 Sep 2018, 11:53 AM
Thursdays record the highest number of car accidents in Abu Dhabi, which is more than 15 per cent of the total weekly crashes, according to traffic authorities. And, most accidents happen during the evening hours between 4pm and 8pm, they added.
Shamsa Al Muharrami, Engineer Traffic Service at Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADCM), told Khaleej Times on the sideline of the Traffic Safety Forum in Abu Dhabi on Monday: "These accidents happen as many people travel within and outside Abu Dhabi and to other emirates to enjoy the weekends. Motorists should avoid speeding, especially on Thursdays, as there is heavy traffic on many highways in the emirate."
However, the Abu Dhabi Traffic Police said the number of people killed in road accidents have reduced over the past eight years from 409 in 2009 down to 199 in 2017.
Mohammed Aleisaei, head of traffic studies and research at Abu Dhabi Police, attributed the drop in fatalities to the increased law enforcement by traffic authorities, quick emergency response, improvement in infrastructure as well as road safety awareness among drivers.
"A set of smart services via smart phones launched a few years ago have helped in reducing traffic violations on Abu Dhabi roads," Aleisaei said at the traffic safety forum.
"These services allow officers to issue traffic violation tickets in the presence of the offenders or in absentia, digitally or based on still photos. They also include special features such as running background checks about drivers and inquiring about the vehicles and then sending violations to the main database."
Smart detections
He noted that with the smart services, traffic officers now issue any violation ticket using smart phones, by taking a digital photo of the violating vehicle.
The violations detected using smart phones include, parking in spaces dedicated to people with special needs, overtaking on the hard shoulder of the road etc in presence of the offenders or in absentia. "These digital services have reinforced traffic control operations in accordance with best practices in the field of traffic safety," added Aleisaei.
Reduced run-over crashes
The Abu Dhabi municipality said the construction of foot bridges on almost all the main roads across the capital has helped reduce run-over accidents.
Officials said over the past years, many pedestrians especially Asian nationals were being mowed down and ran over by speeding cars when they crossed roads from non-designated areas.
But with presence of footbridges everywhere and the issuing of fines to jaywalkers, pedestrians are now crossing roads from the designated spots which has helped reduce run-over accidents.
Speeding, fatigue, recklessness, sudden change of lanes, tailgating and inattentiveness especially resulting from the use of mobile phones while driving, were blamed for many accidents on Abu Dhabi roads.
Expert suggests mandatory road safety curriculum
Thomas Eldermann, founder and managing director of Road Safety UAE, said most of the accidents on UAE roads result from drivers' misbehaviour.
"There is more need for authorities to educate drivers about good road manners, the negative effects of road accidents and the importance of adhering to traffic rules and regulations to prevent accidents," said Eldermann.
"I'm suggesting that the government introduce a mandatory road safety curriculum in schools to educate youngsters about road safety, if we want to protect our children from road accidents, which is seemingly killing a big number of youths in the country."
He noted that diffusing the traffic culture and education among the road users is a community duty, which can only be made with the concerted efforts of government and private entities and all community spectrums, especially parents and schools.
KT NANO EDIT
Drive safe and save lives
Speeding comes with many consequences - from as simple as a costly speeding ticket to leaving you or someone you love with life-altering injuries. Authorities can make punishments stringent from time to time, but ultimately, the responsibility lies on every driver to adhere to traffic rules and ensure that he and other road users are safe. It's time people realised that the aim should be to reach the destination safe and not early by say five minutes.
Main reasons for accidents
>Speeding
>Fatigue
>Recklessness
>Sudden change of roads
>Tailgating
>Inattentiveness
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
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