Dubai wins Road Safety Global Achievement Award in Las Vegas

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has won the Global Road Achievement Award for Road Safety from International Road Federation (IRF), thanks to Dubai Traffic Accident Black Spot Management System.

IRF’s Global Road Achievement Awards are among the leading global awards for recognising creative road projects and individuals who care for the improvement of roads in the socioeconomic development of nations.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said: “RTA will continue to prioritise traffic safety, especially for children, as part of its comprehensive safety strategy. We will endeavour to cut road fatalities and improve the safety of our roads to the highest global standards in line with our vision of Safe and Smooth Transport for All.”

RTA, he added, has undertaken several projects and initiatives to improve traffic safety, reduce pedestrian accidents, and improve the traffic safety culture of road users in Dubai.

Five-year traffic safety stragegy

“In conjunction with Dubai Police, RTA will implement the five-year traffic safety strategy, and seek to achieve the key performance indicators and targets of Dubai Traffic Safety Strategy 2017-2021, he said.

According to the RTA statistics, road accident fatalities in Dubai have plummeted from 22 cases per 100 thousand of the population in 2006 to 2.4 cases per 100 thousand of the population in 2018.

“We will continue our efforts to improve traffic safety on Dubai roads to rank Dubai among the top cities in traffic safety worldwide.

Pedestrian bridges

RTA increased the number of pedestrian bridges and tunnels by 358% from 26 to 119 and provided safe pedestrian crossings and traffic calming devices in all residential areas, especially nearby schools and mosques. RTA’s traffic awareness campaigns are focused on improving traffic safety for certain segments such as workers, students & parents and motorists.

The campaigns are delivered in multiple languages to reach out to the intended audience. Specialist workshops were held in schools, workers accommodations and big companies to deliver the message of the campaign.

Engineer Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, accepted the trophy from Eng. Abdullah Al-Mogbel, IRF Chairman and C. Patrick Sankey, IRF President and CEO, during IRF’s awards distribution ceremony.

The event, which was held on the sidelines of IRF Global R2T Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas, USA, was attended by scores of ministers and top officials of transport and roads in various countries.

Al Tayer also held a meeting with Dan Aman, CEO of General Motors to discuss cooperation in self-driving vehicles. He also met with Sankey to discuss the hosting of IRF Conference and Exhibition in Dubai in 2021. Discussions also focused on more cooperation between RTA and IRF in benchmarking and innovation in roads.

IRF Awards

Instituted in 2000, IRF Awards have distinguished more than 120 programs, projects and products from around the world. Today, the Awards are recognised as a prestigious industry accolade in their own right, but they also serve to remind a much wider audience that the mobility everyone takes for granted would not be possible without the talent and commitment of our industry. By showcasing new technologies and creative solutions, they also serve as an accelerator of progress and new ideas.