Duba: Case studies of serious accidents are to be published and distributed among students in handbook form in a first-of-its-kind initiative by traffic prosecutors to curb dangerous driving, Gulf News has learnt.
The handbook will feature summarised case studies of particularly dangerous traffic situations that came up before traffic prosecutors or courts and will be distributed with the aim of familiarising students with traffic laws, according to Senior Chief Traffic Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha, head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution (TPP).
“The handbooks will contain summaries of traffic cases of the most dangerous accidents and errant drivers. The cases will be written as case studies and not as raw legal material… the purpose is to educate secondary and college students and acquaint them with traffic laws in a friendly, educational manner,” Bu Farousha told Gulf News.
The TPP will start distributing the handbooks, which will be available in English and Arabic, during the new academic year, he said.
The comments came in light of what Bu Farousha described as a “remarkable and obvious” drop in the number of accidents caused by reckless drivers.
Bu Farousha said the number of motorists involved in traffic cases had dropped from 149 in April 2012 to 107 in April 2013.
“Dubai’s traffic prosecutors are sternly determined, as part of their strategic goals, to prosecute unsafe drivers and reduce fatal accidents as much as possible. The handbook caters to students, who constitute a big chunk of the unsafe drivers. We will publish traffic case rulings [misdemeanour and appeal] or investigation reports of unsafe drivers as case studies in the handbooks to increase legal awareness amongst the public. One of our major strategic goals is to communicate with the media and reach out to the public to create a higher level of traffic law awareness,” he added.
Bu Farousha said the TPP has also been more stringent in terms of traffic court rulings, with the number of rulings up from 90 to 95 per cent between 2010 and 2013.
“We are very strict and inflexible when we handle dangerous accident cases. We won’t spare any effort to ensure the safety of road users and their property. TPP consistently asks for the implementation of the toughest punishments and suspension of driving licences, especially for errant and unsafe drivers. Our investigations have become swifter and more skilled,” he said.
In April 2013, the traffic court suspended the licences of three drivers for three months for causing fatal accidents. Another 86 licences were suspended for three months in drink driving cases. Six motorists had their licences suspended for six months because they drove under the influence of drugs.
Bu Farousha said: “Dubai’s Attorney-General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan constantly directs us to carry out a swift and thorough litigation process and to always seek tough punishments against errant drivers.”
