Sharjah records zero road deaths during UAE National Day holidays

Sharjah: Thanks to a comprehensive traffic management plan, the emirate of Sharjah did not record any deaths on its roads during the 49th UAE National Day holidays, police said.

The call centre at the Sharjah Police Central Operations Room received 20,282 emergency and non-emergency phone calls during the holiday period between December 1 to December 4, Colonel Jassim Bin Hada, Director of Operations Department at Sharjah Police, said.

Col. Bin Hada confirmed the increase in the number of incoming calls to the call centre during this period were classified into criminal, traffic, emergency and non-emergency. All the reports were dealt with and transferred immediately to the competent authorities according to the type and nature of each report.

Round the clock

A total 17,293 phone calls were received on 999, the number allocated for emergency cases, while it received 2,989 non-emergency calls on 901.

Colonel Bin Hada stated that the Operations Department received calls round the clock. The response speed in urgent cases was five minutes from the time of receiving the communication until the arrival to the site of the event. He said that this response rate is one of the best indicators at the national level, despite the demographic diversity, and the diversity of cultures and languages within the emirate.

He also reminded the public to call 999 only in cases of genuine emergency, encouraging non-emergency calls on 901 instead.

Traffic management

On the traffic side, Lt. Col. Muhammad Alai Al Naqbi, Director of the Traffic and Patrols Department, said the administration doubled efforts to enhance traffic safety on the roads. A total of 127 patrols were deployed on the internal roads and highways to ensure the movement of road users during the holiday. Officials, especially at public parks, were deployed to prevent traffic violations that may occur as a result of heavy traffic.

Lack of concentration

The administration dealt with all traffic accidents, which resulted in injuries ranging between serious to medium, and did not result in any deaths, Most of the accidents occurred due to excessive speed, not leaving enough distance between vehicles, and motorists not paying attention. He urged motorists to abide by traffic rules and not drive the vehicle dangerously, in order to maintain public safety.