Abu Dhabi: More than 50,000 traffic fines have been issued to pedestrians who crossed the roads from non-designated areas during 2017, the Traffic and Patrols Directorate of the Central Operations Sector at the Abu Dhabi Police revealed on Saturday.
The Traffic and Patrols Directorate urged pedestrians to use designated crossings and tunnels when crossing internal and external roads. It also urged drivers to reduce speed in areas close to schools, educational institutions and pedestrian crossings and to give pedestrians priority in crossing the roads and not to stop on pedestrian lines, especially at intersections.
The directorate said it was intensifying patrol on roads to bust jaywalkers, stressing that it would not hesitate to apply the law to violators. It also warned against the danger of pedestrians not paying attention to traffic signals and vehicles while crossing the roads.
It pointed out that the directorate’s efforts had achieved positive results in traffic safety levels by reducing the road traffic deaths during 2017 by 21 per cent — from 63 cases in 2016 to 50 in 2017. However, the number of fines issued to pedestrians had increased by 21 per cent, compared to the same period in 2016.
