Speeding still a problem: Dubai Police

15 deaths occurred in 2016 due to speeding despite repeated awareness campaigns conducted by the force

Dubai Police said that speeding is still one of the reasons behind traffic deaths on Dubai roads but it’s not the major one. According to official statistics provided by Dubai Police, five traffic violations topped the list of the most common causes of fatal accidents for 2016 — inattentiveness on the road (42 deaths), not leaving enough distance between vehicles (38 deaths), making a sudden turn (37 deaths), speeding (15 deaths) and negligent driving (12 deaths).

Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Director of Dubai Traffic Police, said that despite police campaigns to raise awareness among drivers, many of them still resort to speeding. “Speeding is a problem on our roads despite it not being the main reason behind the deaths. Last year, speeding killed 15 people. It’s still a worrying problem,” Brigadier Al Mazroui told Gulf News.

Dubai Police said that every year they launch a campaign against speeding.

“We always put more radars to tackle the speeding problem. The last type of radar we put can fine speedy drivers even if they slow down before reaching a radar. It calculates the speed between the two radars and it’s installed on highways. This radar will help to reduce speeding problem on the roads,” Brigadier Al Mazroui added.

Name: Residence:

Natasha Baker UK Media City “I live and work in Media City but I do travel a lot in Dubai, especially to Business Bay for work. One of my main problems, generally applicable to all Dubai roads, is that speed limits drop too quickly; transition from one speed to another is rather choppy. On Shaikh Zayed Road especially, there is a combination of driving styles and speed limits which makes it challenging to drive. On Umm Suqeim Road, the speed limit should be reduced to 60 km/h from 90 km/h as there are a lot of turns and signals.”

Name:

Dilip Rajan Indian Al Barsha “I live in Al Barsha and go to Tecom every day to work and use Al Khail Road, where the maximum speed limit is 120 km/h. In some areas, it suddenly drops to 80 km/h and 60 km/h. Since I have a GPS, it isn’t a problem for me, but many people don’t notice the signs and continue to travel at the same speed. Some signs are also situated in unclear places. I also think Al Wasl Road speed limit has to be increased to at least 80 km/h or 100 km/h.”

Name: Nationality: Nationality: Nationality: Residence: Residence:

Dats Gonzaga Filipino Deira “I live in Deira and drive to Internet City via Al Khail Road every day for work. I have observed that in certain places the speed limit is as low as 80 km/h and 60 km/h and I feel the speed limit should be higher in these places, especially on Umm Suqeim Road. In certain parts because of the drop in speed limit, some drivers cannot avoid getting penalties.”