ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Monday, October 6th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

According to Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate, the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents have decreased by 18 percent when comparing the past eight months of the current year (172 deaths) with the same time period last year (210 deaths).  The number of severe injuries has decreased by 22 percent from 242 to 188 injuries. Traffic accidents have decreased by seven percent, in spite of the increase in number of registered vehicles by 17 percent and new license holders by seven percent during the same time periods.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi attributed the decline as a result of the directorate’s efforts in implementing a comprehensive traffic safety plan, raising awareness, implementing an integrated speed management strategy, increasing enforcement and automated traffic control devices, and in developing a system to identify the motorists who run red lights. “These results strengthen the future vision of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police to reach zero fatalities from traffic accidents by 2030,” he said, additionally noting that, “The directorate has achieved 29 percent of its vision to reach zero by the end of 2013. This has been accomplished by reducing the number of traffic deaths from 409 to 289.”  

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi said, “During the specified period, speeding is among the prominent causes of traffic accidents, causing 17 percent of accidents; swerving suddenly has also caused 17 percent of accidents. Among others, negligence and failure to pay attention caused 15 percent; failing to maintain a safe distance between vehicles caused 11 percent, running red lights caused nine percent of accidents, and blown tires caused two percent. It is the driver’s responsibility to avoid the causes that lead to traffic accidents and its related fatalities and severe injuries.”

“Young adults between the ages of 18-30 have the highest rate of causing traffic accidents,” Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi said. He continued by saying, “This age group was responsible for 47 percent of all traffic accidents, followed by drivers aged 31-45, who were responsible for 35 percent of the traffic accidents.” Regarding the nationality of the people responsible for traffic accidents, 47 percent of them were of Asian nationalities, followed by local citizens who were responsible for 35 percent, and Arab nationals who were responsible for 19 percent.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi called upon all motorists to commit to the designated speed limits in order to maintain their safety and the safety of other road users. “Speeding has topped all other violations with 79 percent of the total number of violations, which has no doubt led to the increased number of traffic accidents due to speeding,” he said.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi warned motorists against exceeding the speed limits, “The time required to stop the vehicle increases when you increase your driving speed. This makes it more difficult to stop or avoid accidents. It is essential to adhere to the designated speed limits on the internal and external roads in order to avoid traffic accidents.”

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi asserted that traffic awareness efforts are being intensified to limit the causes of traffic accidents. These efforts include lectures to communicate with motorists in the public and private sectors, and with the drivers of trucks, heavy vehicles, and taxis. He also indicated that the directorate has recently launched traffic awareness councils in order to foster communication within the community and improve the behavior of drivers – most particularly for the young drivers.  The directorate has also launched a number of new social initiatives including ‘You are the Backbone of this Country’ that targets the youth and adopts a unique approach. It aims to instill traffic culture within the largest age group, and to protect them against the dangers of speeding, as they are responsible for building the country and maintaining its gains.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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