Ajman: A series of initiatives to reduce the number of road deaths and accidents have been praised by police officers during the Road Safety seminar which was held in Sarai Hotel in Ajman on Wednesday morning.
A number of senior police officers from the Ministry of Interior and Ajman Police attended the seminar, including Brigadier Gaith Hassan Al Zaabi, director-general, Traffic Coordination General Directorate at the Ministry of Interior; Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Al Nuaimi, Ajman Police commander-in-chief; Colonel Abdul Aziz Al Shamisi, director of police operations at Ajman Police; and Colonel Ali Hamaid Al Masseibi, director of Ajman Patrol and Traffic Department.
“The issue of traffic safety is attracting more attention than before as it is a part of the Ministry of Interior strategy,” said the police.
Brig Al Zaabi said that 45 per cent of the total UAE population have a driving licence (4,505,000 driving licences). The number of cars registered in UAE during 2015 reached 3,201,726, which increased every year by 10 per cent.
He pointed to the vital role of the Ministry of Interior in enhancing traffic safety in the country.
Brig Al Zaabi said, “Ensuring safety is one of the challenges that faces all governments around the world. Traffic accidents in the world are responsible for the deaths of 1,250,000 people every year and injuries to 20,000,000 to 50,000,000 in the age group of 5-45.”
Brig Al Zaabi said that in the UAE, the Ministry of Interior gives traffic safety top priority in its national agenda. “The ministry, as part of its strategy, has initiated coordination among all traffic departments in all emirates to ensure safety on the roads,” he added.
He explained that the reason behind the national strategy supervised by Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, was the number of deaths caused by accidents — 1,072 in 2008. After the implementation of the strategy — which includes control and monitoring of roads as well as an increase in police patrols in addition to awareness campaigns among community members — the number reduced to 675 deaths in 2015.
“Reducing speed limit on roads in the emirates has contributed to reduced [fatalities],” Brig Al Zaabi said.
Major Saif Al Falasi, deputy director of Traffic and Patrol Department at Ajman Police, pointed out the efforts of Ajman Police in reducing fatal road accidents.
He said that the department has recently installed 23 fixed and 21 movable radars, in addition to 69 radars at traffic intersections.
He added that a total of 33 advanced cameras have been installed and linked to police operations room as part of the ‘Ajman is a safe City’ campaign, which includes installing 450 cameras.
“Ajman Police launched an app that allows the public to inform the police about any serious or minor violations they spot on the road, in order to engage the public in ensuring safety in the emirate,” Maj Al Falasi said.
He added that Ajman Police also deployed patrols round the clock and intensified monitoring on seven roads in the emirate — Al Ittihad, Shaikh Zayed, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Shaikh Khalifa, Al Karama, Shaikh Rashid and Al Kuwait roads (which witnessed the highest rate of fatalities recorded during the last three years).
According to Ministry of Interior statistics, the main causes of traffic accidents, death and serious injuries in the UAE since 2013-2015 are
sudden swerving, lane changing, misjudgement, not leaving enough distance between vehicles, entering a road without checking if it is clear, speeding, lack of attention, jumping red lights, and lack of lane discipline.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global status report on road safety 2015, the UAE witnessed 10.9 road deaths per 100,000 population.
Among the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia topped the list at 27.4.
Death rates for other GCC countries: Oman (25.4), Kuwait (18.7). Qatar (15.2), and Bahrain (8.0).
Brig Al Zaabi said that the decline in road traffic accidents was a result of the efforts of various traffic departments and their stakeholders.
He stressed that traffic safety is a shared responsibility, and must be handled by all members of the community in order to limit human, financial and material losses. Brig Al Zaabi also urged motorists to abide by traffic regulations for their safety and that of other road users.
