UAE | Traffic and Transport

230 accidents a day in Sharjah

More than 85,000 traffic accidents occurred in Sharjah in 2004 an incredibly high number for the size of the emirate, say car insurers.

  • By Mahmood Saberi, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 January 23, 2006
  • Gulf News

Sharjah: More than 85,000 traffic accidents occurred in Sharjah in 2004 an incredibly high number for the size of the emirate, say car insurers.

The insurers are upset that careless motorists can walk away free, without being jailed or without having to pay hefty fines.

"You hit a Mercedes worth say Dh350,000, and what happens to you. Nothing, you can go home free," says an accident claims manager.

Rough estimates say the number of accidents went up by at least 10,000 last year, they added.

Every day surveyors from leading insurance companies check accident vehicles at the parking lot next to Al Hisn Fort. The motorists are the victims of bad driving. A police report bears out the fact how bad driving in Sharjah really is. A majority of the traffic violations in the first half of last year were of motorists hitting stationary vehicles, it points out.

Fawaz Matari, a surveyor with Al Buhaira Insurance, every day leads a team of garage representatives and checks the damage to vehicles from every angle. As he takes digital pictures of the wrecked cars, the representatives quickly calculate the repair costs, trying to beat the competition in getting the job.

"We get about 40 cars every day," he says. His company has about 25 garages to choose from to do the repair work. The payout for the damages ranges anything from Dh100 for a simple change of headlight, to Dh10,000 for a complete engine repair, body denting and paint job for a luxury car.

Bashir Al Ali of Al Fujairah Insurance says the major cause of accidents is carelessness, unnecessary rush and lack of driving experience. "We pay out an incredibly huge amount for these accidents every year," he says.

His surveyors check out about 50 damaged vehicles every day. "All the days are the same," he says, but the number of accidents usually climbs after every holiday, he said.

Ali discounts the notion that insurance companies cheat customers by getting cars repaired cheaply in garages run by unprofessionals. His company usually makes cash settlements and he notes that customers try to pocket part of the repair money by getting inflated costs from unscrupulous mechanics.

But a representative from Al Dhafra Insurance said garages will lose money if they agree to do repairs cheaply. "The cost of paint, rents, everything is going up," he says.

Shanmuga Sundaram was driving his Dubai export vehicle to the Sharjah police station to get it registered when he was hit from behind. "Everybody wants to go first. Nobody thinks of others. There is no discipline," he says of the chaos on the roads.

Ramzi Ahmad, another motorist, says that the accidents are increasing as many people do not know how to drive. "Kids are getting driving licences," he says.

Every year the number of cars on the streets of Sharjah is increasing. According to an exhibitor, the booming economy of the emirate is fuelling the increase in the number of vehicles. "The low auto-financing by banks makes it very easy to get behind the wheel," he said.

Survey
Reckless driving is the main cause

A police report bears out the fact how bad driving in Sharjah really is. The majority of traffic violations in the first half of last year were of motorists hitting stationary vehicles, it points out.

Every year the number of cars on the streets of Sharjah is increasing.

According to an exhibitor, the booming economy of the emirate is fuelling the increase in the number of vehicles.

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