UAE | Traffic and Transport
UAE road accidents claim 21 lives in 72 hours
The death toll in road accidents nationwide rose to at least 21 in just 72 hours.
- By Alia Al Theeb, Mariam Al Serkal and Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporters
- Published: 00:35 April 7, 2008
- The accident scene in Ras Al Khaimah where a six-year-old boy died on Friday.
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Dubai/Sharjah/Abu Dhabi: A driver was killed in a horrific accident near National Paints bridge in Sharjah on Sunday, taking the death toll in road accidents nationwide to at least 21 in just 72 hours.
In Sunday's accident the driver rammed into a cement mixer, police said.
The weekend also saw a spate of accidents. A young Emirati was killed in Al Ain on Saturday when he was driving without a licence. An Asian woman died on Saturday when she was run over by a car while crossing the road on Shaikh Zayed Road.
A father and his two-year-old daughter were killed early Saturday when their car plunged into a pedestrian underpass in Abu Dhabi.
Three people were killed in a gruesome accident on Friday on Dubai's Al Khail Road when a sewage tanker first hit a minibus, which was then hit by a bus. A six-year-old Emirati boy died on Friday in Ras Al Khaimah when a heavy vehicle rammed into the car his father was driving.
But the worst accident occurred on Al Wagan Road in Al Ain on Thursday night in which 12 people were killed.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
An official from the Dubai Police Traffic Department said speeding, failure to maintain proper distance between vehicles, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and lack of consideration for other drivers are the main reasons behind most road accidents.
Some 1,056 people were killed in traffic accidents in the UAE in 2007. According to Yahoo, more than 1 million people are killed worldwide, and more than 50 million are injured in traffic accidents each year.
Statistics: Too many offences
According to statistics, Dubai police's traffic department reported 33,886 traffic offences in Bur Dubai in March. The traffic control teams also confiscated 232 vehicles for violating traffic rules.
Major Ahmad Bin Delan, Director of Bur Dubai Traffic Department, said blocking traffic topped the list of offences with 8,033. He said this offence adds to traffic congestions.
Other traffic offences included lane line violation by light vehicles, reckless driving, parking on pavements, driving on the hard shoulder and jumping red signals.
Statistics from Abu Dhabi revealed 1,312 offences were committed from March 1 to 15.
These offences included speeding, jumping a red signal, reckless driving and entering a road dangerously.
Your comments
In my 10 year driving experience in the UAE, I have noticed on a daily basis that most of the van, lorry and heavy trucks drivers are the worst offenders, and no action is taken on them to reduce or behave until it is too late. Imposing speed restrictions for vans, trucks, lorries, etc will be a vital factor if we want to see a reduction in road rage and accidents.
Sanjeev
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 07, 2008, 09:15
There are reckless drivers on the road who create near-accident situations and buzz off saying nothing happened, and even the police cannot do anything since there was no accident. For example, taking left turns at traffic intersections then suddenly moving into another lane and in front of another car etc.
S.M.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 07, 2008, 08:49
It is a shame with all the losses, but it is an absolute necessity that the police should increase their traffic control with the ever-increasing population and the number of cars. People are misusing the absence of police and the drivers are becoming more erratic day by the day.
Amir
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 07, 2008, 08:45
It is very horrific to know that innocent people are being killed for other insane people's silly driving skills! They should be fined even for a smaller accident, that should send a warning signal to them.
Altaf
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 07, 2008, 08:39
As an expat from the UK, I thought driving standards there were bad until I witnessed how bad it is here. Yet I hear it is not as bad as some other countries. Solution? Not sure if there is any, it is probably too ingrained in the psyche.
Manjo
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 07, 2008, 08:19
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