Abu Dhabi: A total of 46 new flashless cameras will become operational on the capital’s Al Maryah Island from Sunday, the Abu Dhabi Police announced in a statement sent on Saturday.
The cameras will monitor 19 signalised intersections across the island in a bid to reduce traffic violations. They are part of a drive to enhance safety at intersections, under which 150 signalised intersections across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region are being fitted with flashless cameras between 2012 and 2017.
Brigadier Hussain Al Harithi, director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said that the cameras were programmed to record a number of violations by motorists, including those who jump red lights, stop cars on pedestrian crossings, speed, swerve between lanes, take U-turns from the wrong lane and overtake other drivers.
Al Maryah Island is one of the capital’s newest developments and houses the upcoming Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, exclusive shopping mall The Galleria and Rosewood Hotel. It is set to become Abu Dhabi’s business hub under the Abu Dhabi Government’s 2030 vision for the city.
The cameras that have been installed are high-quality, infrared devices which oversee five lanes in each direction. They will be used to record the licence plates of passing vehicles, detect the speed of passing vehicles and monitor the number of pedestrians at each crossing, the official said.
In Abu Dhabi emirate, road traffic accidents continue to account for the second highest number of fatalities, as reported by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi. Some of the major causes include jumping red lights, which was the reason behind nine per cent of all fatalities in the capital during the first eight months of 2014, speeding, swerving, lack of attention to the road, failure to maintain a safe distance between vehicles and faulty tyres.
However, statistic revealed by the police earlier this month showed that there has been a 35 per cent decrease in road fatalities over the past five years (2010 to 2015). For example, accidents involving pedestrians have decreased by 54 per cent during the period. In addition, serious injuries related to traffic accidents also fell by 50 per cent.
