Deaths in Dubai road accidents decline 36% in first 8 months
Police say 90 people died in traffic accidents so far this year compared to 139 last year
Adrop in road fatalities in the first eight months of this year as compared to 2016 is helping Dubai Police edge closer to their strategic target of zero road deaths by 2020.
Latest statistics revealed by Dubai Police show a 36 per cent decrease in casualties so far this year as compared to the death rates in the last two years despite all safety and educational measures taken by Dubai Police.
During the period, 90 people were killed and 1,287 others injured in major traffic accidents compared to 139 deaths and injuries to 1,347 people in the same period in 2016.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of Traffic Department at Dubai Police, told Gulf News that in the recent years, extensive awareness campaigns had been conducted in Dubai and these had helped raise awareness among drivers.
“It is good to see a drop in the number of deaths this year after the increase in the last two years,” Brig Al Mazroui said.
Keep safe distance
He said the latest changes in the traffic law helped to create more discipline on the roads too.
“Speeding were among and distraction the reasons behind A new road safety study in the UAE has shown a marked improvement on the roads but the level of motorist misbehaviour is still perceived to be on the higher side.
The study, jointly commissioned by RoadSafetyUAE and QIC Insured and conducted by YouGov in August, saw the overall dangerous driving drop by eight per cent.
Based on the views of a representative sample of 1,010 residents, the UAE motorists record the healthy perception trends within the last six months, with tailgating decreasing by 12 per cent, while distracted driving was perceived to have reduced by 10 per cent.
Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, said that the news is very positive.
“For the first time in this long-term perception study being conducted since 2015, all perceived behaviour trends point in the right direction. UAE motorists observe less lane swerving, less speeding, less distracted driving, less tailgating and overall less reckless driving,” said Edelmann.
He added that despite these very positive trends, more needs to be done, as the absolute levels of perceived misbehaviour are still high.
“The hard work of all involved stakeholders must continue, especially with regards to education and creating awareness for proper conduct,” he added.
The study showed that the positive trends are contrasted by surprising trend reversals with regards to driving enjoyment, which is down by 5 per cent. Furthermore, commute times have decreased and less respondents have been involved in an accident than ever within the study period.
The highlights of the road survey
Dangerous driving overall reduced by Tailgating incidents reduced by Distracted driving cases reduced by Lane swerving incidents dropped by Speeding cases decreased by Cases of being involved in a collision reduced by Commute times reduced by the serious accidents but one of the major offences was not leaving safe distance between vehicles which caused the death of 41 people this year. Some people think it is a minor offence but it’s a serious one,” Brig Al Mazroui said.
Negligence and being distracted while driving caused the death of 10 people this year too.
Nearly 3,584 cars were damaged in the accidents.
The new Federal Traffic Law came into effect on July 1 bringing in stiffer laws, fines and penalties for motorists who flout rules and road safety.