Indians, Pakistanis top in road fatalities in Sharjah

Sharjah: Road fatalities in Sharjah, including pedestrian deaths, dropped to 41 in the first six months of this year from 61 in the same period last year, said police.

Given their larger expatriate populations than other communities in the UAE, which translates into a higher number of drivers, Indians and Pakistanis topped the list of road accident victims in Sharjah in the first six months of this year, police said at a press conference held at the Traffic and Patrol Department.

In the first half of last year, 16 Pakistanis died in road accidents followed by 12 Indians and eight Bangladeshis while this year 10 Indians died followed by seven Pakistanis and three Bangladeshis, according to police statistics.

Victims were either motorists or pedestrians trying to cross roads from undesignated spots.

Police attributed the decline in the number of deaths this year to a series of public awareness campaigns in the emirate.

Negligence and lack of attention, sudden swerving, speeding, jumping the red traffic signal, improper changing of lanes and failing to leave enough space between vehicles topped the causes of traffic accidents, police said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammad Alai, director of the Traffic and Patrol Department, said by analysing statistics and reports relating to road accidents, police have been able to identify the major causes of road fatalities and come up with appropriate measures to minimise them.

He said the police have also implemented programmes to raise traffic safety awareness in the community, especially among motorists and young people.

The majority of persons involved in fatal accidents were aged 31 to 45 years, police explained.

Police patrolling has been intensified mainly on five roads — Maliha Road, Al Ittihad Road, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, Emirates Road and Al Dhaid Road — which have witnessed the most number of fatal accidents.

Authorities have also intensified inspection campaigns on various roads in the emirate and launched awareness campaigns targeted at different segments of society, especially at schools, colleges and universities, to improve safety on the roads in addition to installing fixed and mobile radars. The campaigns have also focused on pedestrians to ensure that they crossed roads from designated areas.

Lt-Col Alai said negligence, lack of attention and sudden swerving by motorists increased the rate of fatalities by 90 per cent.

Offenders in these categories face a fine of Dh800 and four black points on their driving licences.

Motorists who make sudden swerving face a fine of Dh1,000 and four black points.

Motorists must follow the speed limit, drive patiently and be courteous to other road users to avoid accidents and tough penalties, Lt-Col Alai said.

In numbers

First half of 2018

Number of accidents: 277

Fatalities: 41

Injuries: serious — 30; medium — 101; minor — 105

Fatalities by nationality

Indians: 10

Pakistanis: 7