Dubai: The fatality rate from traffic crashes has dropped considerably since 2005, a senior official from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) claimed.
Maitha Mohammad Bin Udai, CEO of RTA's Traffic and Roads Agency, said several measures adopted by the agency have contributed to the drop in the number.
However, what tops the list is bringing down the speed limit from 120km/h to 100km/h and on some roads reducing the speed limit from 100km/h to 80km/h.
She said the number of deaths dropped from 29 in 2007 to 10 cases in 2008 on Shaikh Zayed Road (from Defence Roundabout to the Fifth Interchange).
Similarly, the number of deaths on Al Khawaneej Road also dropped from seven cases to just one case in 2007 after closing the turning openings and reducing the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
Only one accident was reported on Al Amardi Road in 2007 whereas the death cases were five in 2006.
Strategy
Maitha said traffic accidents and fatalities on Dubai roads was on the higher scale during the period from 1997 to 2005.
Emphasising the importance of working out a traffic safety strategy for Dubai, the RTA adopted the highest international standards which met with remarkable success in traffic safety worldwide.
For the first time in the last eight years the emirate has witnessed a remarkable improvement judging by the drop in the number of fatalities resulting from traffic accidents in Dubai.
According to Maitha, the best global practices have shown that road traffic safety is a problem that needs a coordinated work plan involving the police, civil defence, ambulance service, and education as well as public and private organisations.
"All countries which have recorded the best road safety levels in the world, such as Sweden, UK, The Netherlands and Singapore, have acknowledged the importance of obliging all key players responsible for road traffic safety to coordinate efforts with the concerned bodies."
Speeding ranks among the key factors responsible for traffic accidents, and the RTA is continuously focusing on studying and revising the speed limits on roads which record the highest accident rates.
Do you feel safer while driving these days? Have you noticed a difference in the quality of driving on the roads?
