Through the Implementation of a Comprehensive Safety and Awareness Plan 

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, April 26th 2015 [ME NewsWire]

According to Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, the number of recorded traffic-related deaths, severe injuries, and accidents have decreased during the first quarter of 2015. During the same period of the previous year, the number of traffic-related deaths has dropped by 16 percent, down from 64 deaths to 54; severe injuries dropped by 47 percent, down from 72 to 38 injuries; and traffic accidents have dropped a total of 11 percent.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi said: “The declining numbers are a direct result of the directorate’s continuous efforts in implementing its comprehensive plans in regards to traffic safety and in intensifying its outreach programs to increase awareness. The directorate has applied an integrated speed management strategy, deployed additional automated traffic control devices, and developed a system to identify motorists who run red lights.”

Describing the breakdown of offenses, Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi said 13 percent of recorded accidents were due to motorists who swerved suddenly, were speeding, or who failed to properly adjust their speed due to the road conditions. Failure to maintain a safe distance between vehicles was the main cause of 11 percent of the accidents; failure to drive within the designated road lanes resulted in nine percent of the accidents; negligence and failure to pay attention caused eight percent; running red lights resulted in five percent; and merging onto a major road before ensuring there is adequate space caused nearly four percent of traffic accidents.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi called upon motorists to be mindful and to avoid the causes of traffic accidents and to prevent tragedies that result in injuries or death. “Statistically speaking, young adults aged 18 to 30 are most likely to cause a traffic accident,” he said. “This societal segment was responsible for 48 percent of all traffic-related accidents, followed by the segment of adults aged 31 to 45 who were responsible for about 36 percent.”  Regarding the nationality of those responsible for traffic accidents: 35 percent of those responsible were UAE nationals; 34 percent were of Asian nationality; and 20 percent were caused by other Arab nationalities.

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. He also 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 to avoid accidents. It is essential to adhere to the designated speed limits on the internal and external roads in order to avoid traffic accidents and the subsequent deaths and injuries.” 

He added that traffic safety plays a significant role in the strategic objectives of the Abu Dhabi Police. As one of its most important objectives, the Abu Dhabi Police have utilized their prominent role in society to correspondingly adopt traffic safety into their various programs and activities in an effort to influence the reduction of human and financial loss caused by traffic-related accidents. “The responsibility of traffic safety is not limited to the Abu Dhabi Police alone, rather, it is a societal responsibility that requires every segment of society to work together in order to make the roads a safer place for everyone,” he said.

The Abu Dhabi Police have adopted a comprehensive traffic safety plan to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries over the coming years. The objective is to reduce the death rate to three deaths per every 100,000 persons. In a bid to achieve the objective, the police have launched the second phase of its long-term strategic plan 2015 – 2021 based on six main themes. The strategic plan comes as an embodiment of the vision of the Ministry of Interior.

“Throughout 2015, the Abu Dhabi Police aspire to achieve a quantum leap in the field of traffic safety and in the level of services provided to the public. As always, the police will be upgrading all fields in accordance with the best practices and standards of quality,” he said. “The Traffic and Patrols Directorate is committed to distributing a culture of quality and excellence amongst its personnel in order to enable all members to conduct their required duties to the fullest extent.”

The Director General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police emphasized the keenness of the police to enhance communication with strategic partners and to continuously develop the supporting systems needed to implement the best international practices; which is exemplified through the utilization of artificial intelligence systems and the implementation of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). In a bid to provide continuous traffic safety, the police have implemented smart applications and programs to monitor traffic flow on bridges, traffic control systems, and 3D traffic simulators.

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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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