Dubai: Around 294,368 traffic fines were issued by the Dubai Police Traffic Department in January and February this year, a decrease of 30 per cent compared with 420,557 fines in the first two months of 2012.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Chief of the Dubai Police Traffic Department, said on Sunday that the campaigns by Dubai Police to keep roads safe helped track offenders, while the intensive presence of police patrols on roads and high-tech equipment such as radars helped control careless driving and reduce traffic fatalities. Major General Al Zafein said the increase of police patrols helped control reckless drivers.
He said speeding topped the list of traffic fines issued in January and February with 120,663 traffic fines followed by not maintaining lane discipline with 20,844 traffic fines.
Vehicles fined for blocking traffic were third on the list with 16,261 traffic fines followed by jaywalkers crossing the road from unauthorised areas with 11,956 traffic fines. Some 9,368 traffic fines were issued for not leaving enough distance between cars and 9,037 fines for not buckling up while driving .
The number of traffic fines issued to motorists using the mobile phone while driving was 6,984 while the number of traffic fines for dangerously reversing the car was 5,497 and sudden swerving fetched 5,045 traffic fines.
There were 4,364 fines for non-renewal of vehicle registration, 4,024 fines for driving on a no entry road, 2,544 fines for using old tyres and 587 fines for driving with expired driving licences.
Some 1,214 traffic fines were issued for jumping the red signal while 152 traffic fines were issued for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Major General Al Zafein said that Emiratis topped the list of drivers causing traffic accidents in January and February with 51 accidents in which six people died and 89 were injured.
Pakistanis were second with 43 traffic accidents in which five people died and 65 were injured while Indians caused 42 accidents in which seven people were killed and 58 injured. Yemenis caused three traffic accidents in which three people were killed.
Iranian and Egyptian drivers ranked fourth on the list as they caused two traffic accidents each that claimed the lives of two people each.
Sudden swerving caused the deaths of 13 people and injured 83, while not leaving enough distance caused the deaths of 12 people. Running the red light caused the death of one person, entering a road before making sure it is clear caused the death of one person and speeding killed another.
A vehicle collision claimed the lives of 16 people of the total 33 deaths during January and February. Six people were killed in run-over accidents during those two months.
Major General Al Zafein said 363 traffic accidents injured nine children aged between one and eight, killing one child.
In these two months, two people in the 9-17 age group, ten people aged 18-26 and eight in the 27-35 age group died in traffic accidents.
