Sharjah move to address causes of road accidents
sharjah — The Sharjah Police have chalked out a plan to address the root causes of accidents that occurred during the last nine months. These include motorists failing to estimate and ensure the safety of the road, improper changing of lanes, lack of attention while driving and tailgating.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, LtCol Mohammed Allay Al Naqbi, director of the traffic and patrolling department of Sharjah Police, said: “Wrongly estimating the safety of the road was one of the major reasons behind serious accidents that took place during the last nine months across the emirate. Most of these were caused by the motorists who failed to ensure safety of the road while entering from service and internal roads into the main roads and highways or while trying to take a U-turn.”
Lt-Col Al Naqbi pointed out that the second violation which caused most accidents was sudden deviation from one lane to another. Some drivers ignore the use of indicators to alert other motorists when they change from one lane to another, while making unpredictable deviations and confusing others who usually fail to act quickly to avoid a collision, he added.
He said tailgating or failing to maintain safe and adequate distance between vehicles has also resulted in a number of accidents, followed by lack of attention and negligence while driving.
The official explained that based on these analytical studies and statistics of traffic scenario, the police have put up a plan to curb road accidents. It is aimed at addressing issues related to these causes to ensure safety and achieve the objectives of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), he said.
Lt-Col Al Naqbi said as part of the plan, the police will carefully monitor the accidents and their causes to be able to develop solutions to address them. These solutions include raising awareness among the public and sensitising them about dangers of such violations to reduce similar accidents
in the future. The awareness campaigns played a “great role” in bringing down the number of accidents during the third quarter of the year. The traffic department organised campaigns which drove home the message: ‘Don’t let speed turn you into a killer’; ‘Cross the road with safety’ and ‘Stay on your lane’.
He pointed out that the analytical report also indicated that some accidents were caused by speeding, tyre bursts, fatigue of the driver who doze off while at the wheel, driving in the opposite direction or driving without a licence.
Smooth road for school buses
Lt-Col Al Naqabi pointed out that the measures initiated by the traffic and patrol department have helped control vehicular movement,
prevent negative road behaviour and flouting of rules. He added that the streets of the emirate witnessed a smooth flow of traffic due to proper distribution of patrols. “Since the beginning of the new academic year, the traffic plan — which includes distribution of patrols on main roads leading to schools and awareness among school bus drivers — has contributed to a great extent in easing the traffic and ensuring students reach their schools on time,” he added.
Al Naqbi said the quick response of the patrols to accidents that occur during peak hours resulted in minimising traffic congestion. The patrols also gave priority to school buses to reach their destinations as quickly as possible, he pointed out.