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Abu Dhabi: Traffic police here revealed new shocking statistics on Thursday as part of a campaign to slow down reckless drivers.
In 2007, Abu Dhabi streets witnessed 117 accidents related to speeding, 228 casualties and 51 of them died.
"While we are noticing an increase in the number off accident, there is a decrease in the number of deaths on the roads. We are noticing improvements in many areas but there still needs to be more effort," Colonel Hamed Adeel Al Shamsi, Director of Traffic and Patrol Department, said.
Al Shamsi blamed the increase in road accidents on the expanding population of Abu Dhabi. "More and more people are using the roads. The population is increasing and our highways are getting more cars. This inevitably puts a greater pressure on the roads," he said.
According to Al Shamsi, "The predominant age group in these accidents are from between 18 to 25 years old. Their fascination with fast cars and speed along with gadgets distracting them while driving is a deadly combination."
So far in 2008, there have been 98 accidents related to speeding and 48 of them serious.
Alarming numbers (all related to speeding in Abu Dhabi)
51 dead in 2007
117 accidents in 2007
612,271 speeding tickets issued in 2007
98 accidents related to speeding in 2008
48 casualties related to speeding in 2008
18 to 25, the major age group affected by the accidents
17,191 speeding tickets issued by the police from June 1 till date.
300,000 awareness brochures to be distributed in Abu Dhabi in five languages.
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