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Public bus accidents drop in Dubai to 0.52 accidents per 100,000km in 2013
An accident investigation project launched by the Roads and Transport Authority has helped reduce accidents caused by public bus drivers.
70 per cent drop since RTA launched accident investigation aid project in 2010
An accident investigation project launched by the Roads and Transport Authority has helped reduce accidents caused by public bus drivers.
The number of accidents caused by them after the Public Transport Agency (PTA) launched the Accidents Investigation Decision-making Aid Project (AIDA-50), first integrated public initiative investigating bus accidents in the UAE and GCC countries, came down to 0.52 accidents per 100,000km in 2013.
The rate is not only lower than the RTA’s original target of 0.65 per 100,000km but also far below the 0.7 per 100,000km, which is considered the best rate worldwide. For 2014, however, the RTA will still have to analyse the current facts before setting its target.
In November 2013, this new initiative earned for the PTA the Silver Award from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in the UK in recognition of the positive results achieved by the agency in curbing traffic accidents involving public buses in 2012. Since its inception in 2010, AIDA-50 has significantly reduced fatalities and injuries resulting from such accidents.
The project, which was submitted to this international award under the Professional Roads Risks Management category, aimed at minimising red-type traffic accidents where the RTA targeted to bring them to as low as 0.87 accidents per 100,000km traffic accidents caused by public bus drivers in Dubai in 2011.
This was further cut to 0.48 accidents per 100,000km in 2012.
Mohammed Al Ali, Director of Buses at the PTA, said the AIDA-50 Project has resulted in a 70 per cent drop when compared to the bus accident rate at the start of its implementation way back in 2010. “In 2012, the bus accident rate was hovering around 1.47 per 100,000km. By the end of 2012, this rate plummeted to as low as 0.48. This has greatly diminished the cost of repairing impacted buses and their insurance premiums by 47.7 per cent — from about Dh31 million in 2010 to Dh18 million in 2013. It has also resulted in boosting the confidence level among public transport users, which has accordingly raised the ridership as well as the user satisfaction rating from 77.7 per cent in 2010 to as much as 84.5 per cent in 2012, besides slashing traffic congestion, and curbing pollution emanating from exhausts of private vehicles,” Al Ali said.
“The revamped process echoes the RTA’s attention to realise its ultimate vision of providing safe and smooth transport for all, which can only be achieved through developing new procedures to promote the culture of using public transport.
Accordingly, the RTA should respond to this challenge by coming up with solutions to make mass transit means part of the priorities of families, individuals and all community segments.”
He also said the PTA is keen on training public bus drivers in Dubai on the compliance with the rules of driving, traffic and public safety, and maintaining safe speed to safeguard the lives of passengers onboard and road users alike.
The RTA is constantly seeking to showcase its efforts in this field as well as other fields by participating in the local, regional and international competitions in a bid to reward its achievements and, hopefully, earn awards that boost the standing of the RTA in the community in general, and among the users of public transport means in particular.
Key phases
The project comprises five key phases focused on categorising the types of public bus accidents, figuring out factors impacting them, identifying the means of investigating them, issuing relevant investigation templates, and specifying the existing technological systems and introducing a technological system for investigating traffic accidents.
As usual, the RTA is keen on achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction, especially when it comes to security and safety.
The initiative has also contributed to improving customer satisfaction with public bus services, realising the RTA’s strategic goal of assets sustainability by maintaining buses and reducing buses’ insurance cost by 50 per cent after the implementation of the initiative.
The RTA is the first public entity worldwide to win the Occupational Road Risks Management Award: Silver Category, of the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents in the UK, a registered charitable society for 100 years and has ever since been endeavouring to realise a vision and mission of preventing accidents, saving lives and reducing injuries. — lily@khaleejtimes.com
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