UAE | Traffic and Transport
Economic loss caused by traffic casualties
Every person killed in a traffic accident translates to a huge loss, taking into account the medical costs involved, the damage to property and time lost for commuters, according to a new initiative launched on Thursday.
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:35 November 20, 2008
Abu Dhabi: Every person killed in a traffic accident translates to a huge loss, taking into account the medical costs involved, the damage to property and time lost for commuters, according to a new initiative launched on Thursday.
Traffic accidents are also the second-biggest cause of deaths and last year, 1,056 lives were lost across the country.
Joining forces to curb the worrying numbers, the Emirates Foundation, together with Ministry of Interior, Emirates Driving Company, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Shell, launched a new traffic awareness initiative called 'Salama'.
It will begin by the end of this year and will focus on educating road users in Abu Dhabi with the help of hundreds of volunteers. By 2010, the initiative, held under the patronage of Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, will move on to other emirates, officials said.
The campaign will focus on raising road safety consciousness throughout the community - with parents, children and teenagers, at schools, and for drivers in general.
The comprehensive campaign will tackle number of risk factors such as high speeds, use of seat belts, mobile phones etc and would also educate passengers.
Colonel Gaith Al Za'abi, Director of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior, told Gulf News: "We extend our full support to the initiative, because preserving security and the safety of people are one of our main goals. This also means saving the lives of people from abuse - including careless action by individuals, through reckless driving and disrespect for road safety principles."
Ahmad Ali Sayegh, Managing Director of the Emirates Foundation said: "The initiative signifies the introduction of significant steps to reduce the loss of lives on our roads and will thus boost awareness of the risks involved in crashes." He added that hundreds of male and female volunteers from the Foundation's Takatof volunteering programme will help spread the word.
Tayyeb Kamali, Chairman of Emirates Driving Company and one of the founding partners of Salama, said three lives were lost unnecessarily every day in the UAE, with dozens injured.
"Almost 25 per cent of the victims are UAE nationals, mostly very young. Moreover, as per a study, if 3,000 lives could be saved it would mean $5.5 billion [Dh20.23 billion] saved in terms of loss to public and private property."
The cost of loss per victim is calculated taking into account factors such as damages to vehicles and other objects, cost of treatment and of emergency response, lost income and others.
Ten safety rules
- Fasten your seat belt
- Ask passengers to fasten their seatbelts
- Use child seats
- Adhere to speed limit
- Slow down at pedestrian crossings
- Keep distance from the car in front of you
- Keep your eyes and mind on the road
- Check petrol, oil, water, tire pressure and electricity before your trip
Source - Salama
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