Dubai: Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, previously known as Emirates Road, continues to be one of the most dangerous in Dubai, witnessing the highest number of fatalities last year, Dubai Police have revealed.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Head of Dubai Police Traffic Department, announced that 13 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2012 on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, up from 11 in the previous year.
SMBZ is one of the five roads in Dubai that have been classified by Dubai Police as the most dangerous in the emirate.
The details were revealed in an annual evaluation meeting of Dubai Police Traffic department, held at Dubai Police headquarters.
Following SMBZ closely is the by-pass road, which witnessed 11 fatalities in 2012, down from 14 in the previous year.
Shaikh Zayed Road which recorded five traffic deaths in 2011 also saw an increase with seven fatalities last year.
Among the most dangerous are also Dubai-Al Ain road and Al Khawaneej road, with four people killed on the former, while three lost their lives on the latter.
However, road safety in Dubai has improved considerably.
Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Acting Dubai Police Chief, said that traffic fatalities in Dubai declined by nine per cent last year with road accidents claiming 122 lives in 2012 compared to 134 in 2011.
However, the number of accidents increased by seven per cent in the same period.
Major General Al Mazeina attributed the decline in fatalities to strict policing.
“The police plan to reduce fatalities to zero per 100,000 of the population in the next seven years. “We plan to enforce a law making drivers reduce speed near traffic signals,” Maj Gen Al Mazeina said who headed the traffic evaluation meeting.
