Dubai: Eleven people died by being run over in the first three months of 2014, a Dubai Police official said.
Dubai Traffic Police also issued 24,085 fines to pedestrians crossing from undesignated areas within the same period.
In 2013, there were more than 59,212 fines issued for the same violation.
Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Acting Director of Dubai Traffic Police Department, said 80 per cent of pedestrians do not have road-crossing culture, while others do not abide by the designated areas for crossing. This, he said, was reflected in the huge number of fines issued in the first three months of this year.
Al Mazroui said the large number of fines can be avoided if people are more aware of traffic rules.
Dubai Police Traffic Department, in collaboration with The Ministry of Labour, has recently launched the 2014 edition of their annual Cross Safe campaign that aims to raise awareness about the dangers of jaywalking. The campaign primarily targets labourers as they are most frequently run over..
Almost 7,700 labourers benefited from lectures in Arabic, English and Urdu during the past week, as part of the campaign.
Al Mazroui said the problem with a large portion of the public is they do not heed the advice in such awareness campaigns and endanger their lives and the lives of others.
In the first three months of this year, there were a total of 362 traffic accidents, of which 94 involved people being run over. Ninety-eight people were injured in those accidents (this figure includes pedestrians and drivers) and 11 died.
Last year there were a total of 2,947 accidents, of which 380 involved people being run over. There were 399 people injured in the accidents and 46 deaths.
Al Mazroui said some of the ways pedestrians flout traffic laws is by climbing over cement barriers or passing through openings in fences dividing the streets, despite the presence of pedestrian crossings and bridges nearby.
