Nine killed in traffic accidents in a week
abu dhabi — Nine persons died and nine others sustained serious injuries in road accidents in Abu Dhabi during the past week.
The Abu Dhabi Traffic Police said deaths and injuries happened in 32 major crashes that occurred between April 13 and 19 on various roads in the emirate.
The accidents were caused mainly by tyre-bursts, speeding, negligence, sudden change of lanes, recklessness, wrong overtaking and not leaving enough distance between vehicles.
The major accidents included one involving four Filipino expatriates — three men and a woman — who were killed in a car crash last Friday. The crash occurred in the morning on Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Shahama.
Authorities said six Filipinos were in a four-wheel drive car travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for the Good Friday visit to churches when their vehicle was hit by another vehicle. Four of them died on the spot, while two women were critically injured.
The police have urged motorists to drive carefully and strictly abide by traffic rules to avoid fatal crashes. “Motorists should always drive with care, leave enough
We are witnessing a steady decrease in the number of fatalities on Abu Dhabi roads despite an increase in the number of cars and new drivers on the roads.” Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director-General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police
distance between cars, deter from speeding and avoid driving through the hard shoulder,” said a police statement.
The Traffic Police, in a statement last week, said deaths on Abu Dhabi roads decreased by 22 per cent during the first three months of 2017. Authorities said the number of crashes also dropped by six per cent during the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director-General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “We are witnessing a steady decrease in the number of fatalities on Abu Dhabi roads despite an increase in the number of cars and new drivers on the roads.”
The officer attributed the decline in road fatalities to the measures taken by the traffic police.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com