UAE | Traffic and Transport

UAE road fatalities down 10% in 2009

As per Abu Dhabi Police's five-year strategy unveiled in 2008, the police aim to cut road fatalities by 20 per cent by 2012.

  • By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter, Gulf News
  • Published: 00:00 January 6, 2010
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
  • Statistics show 963 motorists were killed in traffic accidents across the UAE last year, while the toll was 1,072 in 2008.

Abu Dhabi: There has been a 10 per cent decline in road fatalities across the UAE last year compared to 2008, according to statistics released by police.

Statistics show 963 motorists were killed in traffic accidents across the UAE last year, while the toll was 1,072 in 2008. The decline has been attributed to strict enforcement of traffic law, especially the black points system and hefty fines.

According to latest country wide accident statistics, the total number of accidents and related injuries has dropped considerably.

"Traffic accidents claimed 963 lives last year. Fatalities declined by about 10 per cent as compared to 2008, when 1,072 were killed," said Colonel Gaith Hassan Al Za'abi, Director of the Traffic Department at the Ministry of Interior.

At a press conference on Tuesday, he said the ministry's strategy to curb road deaths is very much on track. As per Abu Dhabi Police's five-year strategy unveiled in 2008, the police aim to cut road fatalities by 20 per cent by 2012. "If the current positive trend can be maintained, hopefully, the target will be achieved ahead of time," he said.

Rate of deaths due to traffic accidents per 100,000 of the population was 15.8 in 2007, which fell to 13.3 in 2008 and further to 11.8 in 2009. "Our objective is to reduce this by 1.5 per cent annually." The total number of accidents dropped from 10,124 in 2008 to 8,612 in 2009, marking a 15 per cent decline.

Related Links

Run over cases

While 11,082 people were left injured by traffic accidents in 2008, 10,391 were injured last year.

Notably, run over accidents, a problem the authorities were keen on tackling, have also declined significantly. "Run over cases declined from 1,694 cases in 2008 to 524 in 2009, a 24 per cent drop."

Colonel Al Za'abi said the reasons for decline in accidents are manifold. "The strict enforcement of the Federal Traffic Law, which was amended in 2008 to include the black point system and heftier fines for serious offences, is the primary cause."

"The severe penalties have successfully acted as a deterrent," Colonel Al Za'abi said. Other reasons include increased police patrolling and monitoring, alongside efficient issuance of traffic tickets and speed monitoring by radars, he said.

Also, the number of collisions came down 14 per cent going from 6,545 to 5,599 while roll over accidents came down by 13 per cent, from 1,169 to 1,013.

Meanwhile, the total number of traffic tickets issued rose by 905,337. "Fines issued for traffic violations increased from 4,387,791 in 2008 to 5,283,791 breach in 2009," he said.

Not leaving enough distance between vehicles was identified as the major cause of accidents last year that led to 547 accidents. Lack of concern for other drivers led to 542 crashes, not ensuring the road is clear before entering led to 531, and lack of lane discipline caused 324 crashes.

267 accidents were caused due to jumping the red signal, 148 due to reckless driving and 122 due to speeding, he said. Poor condition of tyres is also one of the causes, Al Za'abi said, urging motorists to abide by the regulations.

In figures: Traffic death toll

  • 878 in 2006
  • 1,056 in 2007
  • 1,072 in 2008
  • 963 in 2009

- Source: Ministry of Interior

How do you rate the quality of driving in the UAE? Have you noticed a decrease in the number of accidents on the road? Or have they increased?

Comments (1)

  1. Added 23:20 January 5, 2010

    The way some of us drive is like as if others are not working and are just taking a ride on the roads. its never too late as we have to change our mind set and start respecting our self's and also respecting others on the road. it is always better to reach a bit late at least you don't have to jeopardize the lives of others by driving recklessly. At the same time roads should not be considered as formula once race track as most of the time speeding takes place on high ways risking the lives of others. Minivans, truck drivers and bus should not be allowed to enter the fast track as they are a nuisance and create havoc on the road. 4 wheelers are not that bad when it comes to honking, flashing light bullying the car in the front .More cameras and radars should be installed in unforseen areas to track down reckless drivers as there is no end to this inspite of many strict rules and regulations enforced. From my 6 years experience i should say that dubai has the worst drivers on the roads ever and this has to improve.

    Mathew Litty, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

More from UAE Traffic and Transport

  1. Dubai number plates auction raises Dh27m

  2. No sweat! Book a taxi while on Metro

  3. Chance of fault on Metro: One per 4 million kms

  4. Motorists fined for driving below speed limit

All articles in Traffic & Transport

More from UAE

Gulf News
Popular in UAE

More from UAE

Crackdown

Passports seized in Dish TV crackdown

Dubai airport

Swords, knives, fake guns seized in Dubai

India-Pakistan

New visa rules thrill cross-border couples

Latest news
Community Reports

More from Community Reports

Weather

More from Weather

Video

In the lanes of Deira Spice Souq

Gallery

A pick of the best pictures taken by readers