Dubai: Police departments in the UAE today announced their full readiness comprising heightened road safety measures planned for the first day of the new school year, which begins next week on Monday, August 28.
Dubai Police issued a fresh call to motorists to obey traffic rules to ensure an ‘Accident-Free Day’. The campaign, which is being implemented nationwide, urges drivers to:
• take a pledge to abide by speed limits in school zones
• refrain from distracted driving, such as using mobile phones behind the wheel
• adhere to designated lanes, avoid driving while fatigued
• demonstrate respect for the ‘Stop’ sign displayed by school buses
Major General Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, also stressed the importance of school bus drivers adhering to all safety regulations and traffic laws, ensuring that the beginning of the school year remains secure and free of any incidents.
Maj Gen Al Mazroui reaffirmed the Dubai Police’s commitment to implementing initiatives that bolster traffic safety, pointing out the significance of the Accident-Free Day campaign.
Zero fatalities
He also underscored the campaign’s impact in past years, substantially reducing accidents and fatalities across the emirate’s roads. Over the past five years in Dubai, there have been zero fatalities and a notable reduction in the accident rate on the first day of school. The director attributed this success to the commitment of drivers and parents to traffic regulations, which has played a pivotal role in ensuring a safe return to school life.
The campaign is part of a series of initiatives and broader efforts aimed at enhancing traffic safety in alignment with the vision of Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
“The ‘Accident-Free Day’ campaign serves as a community awareness initiative that coincides with the beginning of the school year when traffic education is intensified. Its objective is to encourage active community participation in promoting overall safety measures,” Maj Gen Al Mazroui said.
Marketing plan
Maj Gen Al Mazroui further explained that Dubai Police prepared a comprehensive marketing plan for the campaign, including the use of educational videos, awareness messages on the Dubai Police website and social media platforms, placement of campaign information on ATMs, display of informative posters, and promotion of the campaign in government and private institutions, as well as commercial centres throughout the emirate.
The campaign’s message will also be showcased on the Skydive Dubai platform, and text messages will be sent in collaboration with the Road and Transport Authority (RTA), Etisalat Group, and Du Telecommunications to enhance public awareness, he said.
Also today, the Sharjah Police General Command announced it has completed its comprehensive security and traffic plan in preparation for the new academic year 2023-2024.
Arrangements in Sharjah
Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, stressed the importance of concerted efforts under one umbrella based on establishing safety rules to serve the educational environment, pointing out that Sharjah Police has taken all measures to enhance safety in and around schools, and implemented preventive security strategies that contribute to enhancing traffic safety.
Sharjah Police’s preparations for the new academic year consisted of:
• securing and monitoring the traffic flow on the internal roads and highways roads
• reducing congestion and the occurrence of traffic accidents
• re-deployment of police patrols to “hot spots”, with the aim of enhancing road safety for students and educational and teaching staff
• securing pedestrian crossing points
The measures come in coordination with the General Command of the Emiri Guard, Sharjah’s Roads and Transport Authority, in addition to coordinating with the Rafid company.
Colonel Mohammad Alay, director of Traffic and Patrols Department at Sharjah Police, appealed to road users to pay attention and focus while driving, and to adhere to speed limits on the roads, especially in the vicinity of schools and pedestrian crossings.
Fujairah Police ready
The Fujairah Police General Headquarters said it has completed its full readiness to receive the new academic year. Colonel Abdullah Al Samahi, deputy director of the Traffic and Patrols Department, pointed out that traffic safety for school students requires the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, starting with the family, school, educational and administrative bodies, supervisors and drivers of school buses to take all preventive measures.
Col Al Samahi said the plan included intensifying patrols and traffic control to monitor the main and secondary roads in front of schools in all areas of jurisdiction to facilitate the flow of traffic to prevent congestion and provide safe transportation for students.
Meanwhile, Captain Moza Al Darmaki, director of the Traffic Awareness and Media Branch, stressed the need for a comprehensive programme of traffic awareness campaigns and workshops to introduce traffic rules guidelines, including those specifically for school bus drivers and supervisors in cooperation with the Emirates Transport Corporation.
