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Road fatalities up by 80% in Q1

Traffic deaths have gone up by 80 per cent in the first quarter of this year as compared to the same period last year, with serious injuries also on the rise.

Deaths from traffic accidents in Dubai in the first quarter of the year were 48 as compared to 27 the previous year, while the number of people who sustained serious car injuries shot up to 53 from 36 last year.

The Dubai Traffic Police statistics showed Emirates Road topped the list of the most dangerous roads, as it witnessed eight deaths, followed by Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road which saw six deaths, and Shaikh Zayed Road where three people died.

Statistics also showed that making sudden turns topped the list of violations that caused deaths, resulting in 175 accidents and 15 deaths. The death rate from sudden turns tripled from five last year to 15 this year during the same period last year.

Not paying attention on road while driving came in second place and led to the death of 11 people compared to eight in the previous year, while not leaving enough space and tailgating instead was the third leading cause of deaths.

Jumping traffic signals caused three deaths, while overspeeding led to two deaths.

The statistics also showed that most fatal accidents involved Pakistani drivers, with 11 deaths in 88 accidents attributed to them, while Indian drivers were responsible for 10 deaths and 79 accidents, according to the police.

Emiratis came in third, causing seven deaths and 77 accidents, Bangladeshis caused 19 accidents resulting in two deaths, Egyptians caused two deaths, while British nationals were behind two deaths in six accidents and Iranian drivers caused 14 accidents, according to the police.

The statistics showed the drivers in the accidents were overwhelmingly male, with 87 per cent of the total traffic accidents attributed to male drivers.

news@khaleejtimes.com