Dubai: With the way some motorists drive, you will be forgiven for thinking that you may have accidentally driven into a Formula 1 race track.
Tackling the problem of speeding has been a priority for authorities, with police across the emirates launching awareness campaigns in a bid to convince reckless drivers to stop searching for thrills on wheels.
The Ministry of Interior has revealed that the number one cause for road-related accidents and deaths is swerving, followed by poor decisions made by drivers, and not keeping enough distance between cars.
Top 9 causes of traffic accidents, death and serious injuries in the UAE 2015
| Main causes of accidents |
|---|
| Sudden swerving/lane changing |
| Misjudgment |
| Not enough distance to the car in front |
| Entering road without checking if clear |
| Speeding |
| Lack of attention |
| Jumping red lights |
| No lane discipline |
| Miscellaneous |
Source: Ministry of Interior
Recent statistics issued by Sharjah Police alarmingly show that 3,560 motorists had their cars impounded for up to 30 days – with the highest speed recorded at a staggering 268km/h.
Speeding at such high rates automatically means 12 black points on a driver’s licence.
Speeding is a killer
A transportation expert stressed that speeding is a major cause of fatal road accidents in the UAE.
“Despite widespread awareness of the UAE’s driving rules, far too many motorists seem to be consciously ignoring the dangers of speeding. We need to address the root-causes for speeding," said Thomas Edelmann, Founder of RoadSafetyUAE.com.
He added that in curbing road-related deaths, education is key.
"This can happen by holistic and permanent awareness initiatives, focusing on the need for proper time management and the importance of overcoming the nuisance of impressing others and entrenched habits. Only then can we begin to overcome this serious problem that affects us all in the UAE," he said.
In Dubai, police recorded a drop in traffic-related deaths from 177 people in 2014 down to 166 in 2015. According to previous reports, reckless driving emerged as the main cause of the 3,078 road accidents.
Sharjah Police previously announced that in 2015, there was an average of eight to 10 deaths per month, including fatal crashes and pedestrians getting run over by reckless drivers.
Speeding causes most deaths?
According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global status report on road safety 2015, the UAE witnessed 10.9 road deaths per 100,000 population.
Among the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia topped the list at 27.4.
The death rates for other GCC countries were: Oman (25.4), Kuwait (18.7). Qatar (15.2), and Bahrain (8.0).
