The Ministry of Interior in the UAE has released a comprehensive five-year traffic report. It has been revealed in the traffic report that 3,123 people were killed in road accidents during the last five years. While the overall road safety situation gradually improved from 2014 to 2018, an average of two people lost their lives every day in road accidents during this period.
Many dangerous traffic violations committed by motorists were identified to be the reason behind most of the fatal road accidents recorded during the last five years. Additionally, the five-year traffic report has also revealed that young motorists caused the most number of road accidents during this period.
Details of the Traffic Report Released by the Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior in the UAE has released a new report that clearly highlights the major reasons behind fatal road accidents recorded during the last five years. Authorities have provided a yearly comparison of road deaths recorded in the country from 2014 to 2018.
According to the report, 712 road deaths were recorded in 2014, which reduced to 675 road deaths recorded in 2015. A rise in road deaths was again recorded in 2016 as 725 motorists were killed in road accidents.
In 2017, the road safety situation improved in the UAE and 543 road deaths were recorded. According to authorities, 2018 was the best year for road safety in the UAE as road deaths decreased to 468 last year.
Some of the other notable findings of the report are given below:
- On an average, two people were killed daily in accidents on the UAE roads during the last five years.
- Most of the accidents recorded in the UAE during the last five years involved young motorists aged between 18 and 30 years. Authorities have identified the inexperience of young drivers as a major reason behind dangerous road accidents recorded during this period.
- Most of the dangerous traffic violations including speeding, sudden swerving, jumping the red signal and distracted driving were amongst the major reasons behind road accidents recorded.
- The number of road deaths decreased from 4.52 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017 to 3.83 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2018. Authorities have set their eyes on reducing it to 3 deaths per 100,000 people by 2021.
Major Road Safety Initiatives Taken by Authorities during Last Five Years
Many road safety initiatives have been taken by authorities during the last five years, which have helped improve the state of road safety in the UAE. Authorities have implemented several new policies and improved their traffic monitoring standards to deal with traffic problems and to gradually improve the safety of commuters in the UAE.
Some of the major initiatives that helped authorities improve the road safety situation during the last five years are given below.
The Launch of Road Safety Awareness Campaigns across the UAE
Traffic authorities across the UAE have continually launched various awareness campaigns to urge motorists to follow traffic rules and to educate them about safe driving practices. Authorities also launched awareness campaigns to make motorists aware of the new developments such as the implementation of new traffic policies and revision of speed limits on roads to name a few.
Implementation of the New Traffic Law
The highlight of the major road safety initiatives taken by authorities was the implementation of the new traffic law in the UAE. The road safety situation deteriorated during 2016, as a result of which, authorities decided to adopt a tougher stance against traffic offenders. The traffic law of the UAE was amended and the new traffic law was implemented in the UAE on July 1, 2017 to improve the state of road safety in the UAE.
In the new traffic law, the fines for many traffic violations were increased significantly while some new violations were also introduced. Since the implementation of the new traffic law, a major improvement has been observed in the road safety situation as the fear of facing hefty traffic penalties has made motorists more responsible of their actions.
Introduction of New Seatbelt Policy
In addition to the implementation of the new traffic law, authorities also introduced a new seatbelt policy to improve safety standards for commuters in the UAE. Many new seatbelt rules were introduced while the safety of children in cars was also given central importance in the new seatbelt policy.
Improvement in Traffic Monitoring Standards
Another major development that has helped improve the road safety situation in the UAE is the use of smart traffic monitoring technologies by traffic authorities in the UAE. Many new radars and traffic monitoring cameras have been fitted on major roads across the UAE during the last five years, which has helped authorities in nabbing down traffic offenders more effectively than ever before.
Initiatives to Help Motorists Pay their Traffic Fines Easily
Besides implementing strict policies and adopting a tougher stance against offenders, authorities have also taken initiatives to make life easier for motorists who are under serious financial pressure to pay their pending traffic fines.
Motorists can now pay their traffic fines in easy instalments and can also avail discount offers to pay their traffic fines in a stress-free manner. With these initiatives, authorities have made an effort to encourage motorists to follow traffic rules and develop a careful driving approach to avoid hefty traffic penalties.
Also read: Traffic Authorities in Dubai Announce a Big Discount Offer on Traffic Fines
Bottom-line
The Ministry of Interior has released an extensive five-year traffic report in a bid to identify major reasons behind road deaths recorded across the UAE. The report has revealed the major traffic stats and also provided information about the fundamental traffic problems of the UAE. The report has also highlighted that the road safety situation has improved in the UAE during the last five years, thanks to the untiring efforts of traffic authorities.
Traffic authorities have played a great role in making the UAE roads safer than ever before and it is now the responsibility of motorists to recognize their responsibilities and help authorities in achieving their future road safety objectives.
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