Al Ain: Authorities have issued a warning to motorists to pay special attention to pedestrians, especially as the new academic term has come underway.
At the end of the first day of school, a teacher was struck down by a car on September 1 while she was walking along the zebra crossing in the Al Sarouj area of Al Ain city, according to the Arabic daily Al Khaleej.
The victim sustained various injuries and was transported to Al Ain Hospital for treatment.
According to reports, the victim was first dropped off by a bus before she started walking towards her vehicle that was parked in the opposite direction. The vehicles in the first and second lanes stopped and gave the victim way, but a speeding motorist in the third lane failed to spot her on time and ultimately knocked her down.
The traffic accident took place at a time when road authorities launched an awareness campaign at the start of the academic year.
Motorists were urged to take caution when driving near designated areas for pedestrians and to slow down when and give way to school buses dropping off pupils.
Dubai Police carried out a campaign ‘A Day Without Accident’ on Saturday, encouraging motorists to visit the police website and sign a pledge letter promising to abide by traffic rules.
“Together we can make our roads safer for all,” said Dubai Police.
According to the UAE traffic law, motorists face a Dh500 fine and six black points if they do not give way to pedestrians in designated areas such as zebra crossings.
Residents were also urged not to run recklessly across roads, and to use the underpasses and pedestrian bridges that can be found at various parts of the city, in addition to the zebra crossings equipped with traffic signals that clearly indicate when it is safe to cross the road.
Pedestrians will also face a Dh400 fine for jaywalking if they are found crossing the road from undesignated areas.
Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) also warned motorists not to overtake school buses when the stop sign arm of the bus is deployed to ensure the safety of students at the time of embarking or disembarking the buses.
