Dubai: At least 44 people were killed in run-over accidents and 303 suffered injuries of various degrees in 328 accidents in 2016, Dubai Police have said.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of Dubai Traffic Police, revealed these latest statistics, saying that the last 11 months of the year witnessed an increase in run-over incidents as a result of incorrect traffic conduct.
In addition to the cases recorded between January and November, 64,458 jaywalkers were fined, he said.
The month of March saw the highest number of fines issued to jaywalkers, followed by February and April, he said. “A total of 7,920 jaywalkers were fined in March, 6,798 in February and 6,556 in April.”
He added, “Of the 303 people who were injured while attempting to cross the road, 37 of them sustained major injuries, 138 suffered moderate injuries and 128 minor injuries.”
Brig Al Mazroui explained that some of the most common incorrect practices, which resulted in such cases, were workers taking naps under parked trucks, climbing on top of concrete dividers to cross the road, or squeezing through the openings of some fence dividers, instead of walking further to cross from designated areas.
“It’s illegal to cross roads with high speed limits or roads with speed limits above 80km/h. As for inner roads, it’s important for pedestrians to cross from designated areas whether it was a bridge or a tunnel.”
The fine for crossing the road from undesignated area is Dh200.
He added that Dubai Police are continuously holding campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of jaywalking and have been placing a higher number of police personnel on different roads around the city.
According to Dubai Police, there has been an increase in the number of road deaths in 2016 from last year, with 174 motorists killed on Dubai roads in the first 11 months of 2016 compared with 122 deaths during the same period last year.
“Dubai Police want to ensure all roads are safe so the lives of residents are protected,” said Brig Al Mazroui, noting that they aim to achieve zero road deaths caused by traffic accidents by 2020.
