Sharjah road accidents leave 41 dead in six months of 2018
sharjah — Motorists from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) caused the most number of fatal accidents in Sharjah in the first six months of the year, followed by Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis, the Sharjah police have revealed. During this period, 41 people lost their lives and 30 were injured in accidents.
The police revealed this during the second Sharjah Traffic Police media forum held on Tuesday. The awareness forum was aimed at making roads safer by roping in various Sharjah government entities to spread traffic safety culture.
Addressing the forum, Lt.-Col Mohammed Allai Al Naqbi, director of traffic and patrol department, said road deaths in the first half of the year reduced by 34 as compared to the same period last year. He attributed the “drastic decline” to the police’s efforts at raising awareness about traffic safety.
Inattentive driving, entering a road without making sure it was clear and speeding were the major causes of fatal accidents.
“The accident index recorded a significant decrease in the first six months of 2018, with 105 accidents as compared to 461 during the same period last year,” said Lt.Col Al Naqbi.
He said efforts like installing 14km of fencing to prevent illegal crossing of the roads and setting up zebra crossings and pedestrian bridges at vital areas have helped bring the accident rate down.
The officer revealed that 38,000 vehicles with expired registration papers are plying on the road. He urged owners of these vehicles to renew their registration licences. The total number of registered vehicles in Sharjah is 325,000, he added.
During the forum, Lt.-Col Al Naq- bi also reviewed the services and initiatives launched in the first half of the year. This includes 15 selfservice kiosks known as Sahl distributed in various parts of the emirate to allow motorists to pay their traffic fines, renew their car registration and licence and other services.
A total of 127,000 motorists used the smart application for licensing services in 2017 as compared to just 35,000 in 2015.
‘Fines not to make profits’
Major-General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, told the forum that fining errant motorists is not to make profits, but to promote road safety. He pointed out that the police have introduced 500 surveillance cameras to boost safety and security.