Dubai: Dubai Police have said 40 people died last year in accidents caused by motorists with poor traffic culture and lack of driving skills. In all, 198 people lost their lives in all accidents last year.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Director of Dubai Traffic Police, said certain traffic rule violations caused 600 accidents last year, and caused 40 deaths.
“Some traffic offences committed by drivers show that they have poor skills and don’t have good traffic culture like stopping in the middle of the highways which caused the death of 13 people,” Brigadier Al Mazroui said.
The other such offences are entering a main road without paying enough attention, reversing vehicles in a dangerous way, taking U-turns from undesignated spots and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Despite the awareness campaigns run by the police, motorists still repeat these offences.
As recently as in January this year, a motorist was killed after his vehicle crashed into another vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway because of a trye problem in Ras Al Khor area.
“Drivers shouldn’t stop in the middle of the road for small problems or minor accidents. They need to move the vehicle to the roadside. And never step out of the car to check in the middle of the road,” Brigadier Al Mazroui added.
Not paying attention to the road caused several accidents last year, police said without giving the specific number. “They happened because of the negligence of drivers as we had noticed that many of them were busy with their children or chatting with other passengers in the vehicles without focusing on the road.”
Six people were killed in 540 accidents because of drink driving, police said.
Offences and fines
If you are a motorist in the UAE, it is important to know the penalties which are applied for different traffic violations, police said. Motorists could be fined for 147 types of offences. Common traffic infractions include speeding, wrong overtaking and using the phone while driving.
The most expensive traffic fines are not listed, as they are decided by courts. These include, but are not limited to, driving under the influence of alcohol and not stopping the vehicle after causing an accident that resulted in injuries or death.
The most expensive listed traffic violation of Dh3,000 is only applicable to owners of large trucks, who do not cover their load properly. The highest listed fine that car owners face is Dh2,000 for racing on the road.
