Seven injured in road accidents over four days

Dubai A child suffered moderate injuries after being hit by a car in Karama on Saturday, and six others were injured in road accidents between Thursday and Sunday, said Dubai Police's Traffic Department.

At 3.10am on Thursday, a pedestrian sustained serious injuries in a hit-and-run accident on Airport Road, and a collision between a car and a light bus at 4.20pm on Dubai Bypass Road left one person seriously injured and another with a moderate injury.

On Saturday, a car hit a biker at 7.20pm at the old Khawaneej roundabout, which resulted in severe injuries to the biker, and at 10pm a collision between two cars on Port Saeed Road left one with a minor injury.

A heavy water tanker overturned at 7am on Sunday on the Dubai Bypass Road in the Jebel Ali area in the Sharjah direction, and the truck driver sustained a minor injury.

Awareness campaigns

Police reiterated the call for all motorists to drive carefully and pay special attention to pedestrians and bikers, as they are the most vulnerable road users.

Last year 41 pedestrians died after being hit by cars — almost one third of the death toll of 134 on Dubai roads in 2011.

Police are planning awareness campaigns that target both pedestrians and drivers to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths, as in many of these cases, the pedestrian is at fault for crossing a highway, crossing at a red light or jaywalking.

Traffic laws ban pedestrians from crossing any road where the speed limit exceeds 80km/h, and crossing at undesignated crossings brings a Dh200 fine, while causing a death on the road is punishable by 12 black points, confiscation of the car, a fine and/or jail term to be decided by the court.

Failure to give way to pedestrians or not stopping at a crossing is punishable by a Dh500 fine and six black points.