Higher speed limits cause accidents in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: Despite an overall reduction in traffic accident casualties, there has been a rise in the number of incidents at certain intersections across Abu Dhabi, experts in the capital said on Tuesday.

Additionally, an increase of the speed limit from 60km/h to 80km/h at three signals in Abu Dhabi city has resulted in the rise in the number of accidents due to speeding in those areas.

“The use of lag-lead systems at traffic signals, whereby traffic lights for those heading straight-ahead and those for left-turning are red and green at separate times, has been proven efficient in distributing traffic. However, this comes with a risk because often times motorists mistake the green signal for vehicles going through for their own, and proceed to take a left when it is not their turn to do so,” said Abdullah Hamad Al Ghafli, Road and Traffic Engineer at the Abu Dhabi Police.

Speaking at the first International Road Traffic Accident Conference, Al Ghafli said that this can be easily resolved by turning straight-ahead traffic light-heads away from motorists turning left in a bid to prevent the confusion.

“Other useful measures we could take especially when implementing new traffic plans, is to test these changes on a sample of motorists through simulation. This is not being currently done in Abu Dhabi, and I believe that doing so will greatly improve the results, as we will be able to revise our plans if they proved faulty in any way,” he added.

The huge volume of traffic-related information collected today means that proactive processing methods can enable traffic officials to greatly reduce the risk of accidents, said Dr Mohammad Abdul Aty, chair of civil, environmental and construction engineering at the University of Central Florida in the United States.

“One of the deadliest traffic situations occurs when Florida is enveloped in fog, an occurrence that is also common in the UAE winter,” he added.

Dr Abdul Aty is working with the Florida Department of Transport to assess road visibility using simple sensors that transmit infrared beams between them. When the strength of the beam that is received becomes low, it indicates that road visibility is declining.

“These kinds of sensors are inexpensive, yet the data provided can help save lives. If a traffic official monitors this data, he can notify authorities who can make a quick decision to block the road, or transmit warning messages on road signs. Just an advance warning 15 minutes before the fog gets dense can be very beneficial, and this is the kind of proactive monitoring we need today,” the expert said.

He added that efforts by UAE traffic authorities had improved road safety over the last few years.

“In most cases, it is enforcement strategies that are used to modify driver behaviour here, but these only work in the short term. Perhaps further research into positive reinforcement methods for motorists could help make these improvements last,” the expert said.