Drive to curb accidents in summer launched

The Ministry of Interior has launched the third traffic awareness campaign for 2013, as part of the traffic sector initiatives to improve road safety.

The campaign, which will run until September 1, is being organised under the slogan ‘A Summer without Accidents’, and aims to promote community solidarity and joint action to reduce traffic accidents.

Brigadier Gaith Hassan Al Za’abi, Director-General of the Traffic Coordination Department, said various Traffic and Patrols Departments at the emirate level are taking part in the campaign, along with more than 20 agencies concerned with traffic safety in the public and private sectors.

“Its key objective is to educate motorists on the need to take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their vehicles, perform regular maintenance and check the validity of the vehicles’ tyres to maintain their own safety,” he added.

He said that risks associated with traffic accidents and their resulting deaths and injuries, as well as the material and moral damages, would also be highlighted.

He pointed out that traffic accidents remained a significant source of concern for security bodies in the country, in spite of the diligent efforts exerted to reduce such accidents because of the adverse effects represented by the number of deaths and injuries and other social impacts, as well as the material losses to property, which cost the country huge amounts of money.

“The ‘Summer without Accidents’ campaign coincides with the beginning of the summer holiday season, which witnesses an increased rate of land trips and this requires taking extra precautions related to vehicle safety, including tyres’ road-worthiness, regular maintenance, and compliance with cargo height restrictions which should not exceed 60cm as an overload may lead to imbalance, thus control over the vehicle is lost,” added Al Za’abi.

He underscored the need to create awareness and instil a “traffic culture” among all motorists and road users, reiterating the importance of abiding by all vehicle safety rules to ensure their safety and the safety of others.