Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai was recently painted in red color and motorists took to the social networking websites over the weekend to show how they felt about this new development. While some motorists were already aware of this unique initiative by the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai, others felt confused and didn’t understand what it meant.
This is not the first time that a road in Dubai has been painted in red color as the Oud Metha Street was the first road to be painted red in June earlier this year. The red markings on the Sheikh Zayed Road look eye-catching, but beautification of roads is not the purpose of this initiative. It is in fact a part of the long-term strategic plan of traffic authorities to make Dubai one of safest cities in the world for all commuters.
The Reason behind Painting the Sheikh Zayed Road in Red Color
Red markings notify the motorists about the change in maximum speed limit on Sheikh Zayed Road. On the launch of this unique initiative back in June when the Oud Metha Street was painted red, the Chief Executive Officer at the RTA, Maitha Bin Adai, promised that Sheikh Zayed Road will also be painted in red color soon to alert motorists of the change in speed limit. The maximum speed limit on Sheikh Zayed Road was decreased from 120 Km/h to 100 Km/h earlier this year. The red markings can be spotted near the fifth interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road and the new speed limit is clearly highlighted on these markings.
The maximum speed limit of Sheikh Zayed Road was decreased after 99 road accidents were recorded on this road during the first half of 2017 and 60% of these accidents were caused by over-speeding motorists. The new initiative will make motorists aware of the new speed limit on Sheikh Zayed Road so that they can avoid unintentional over-speeding, which can result in hefty traffic penalties.
Also read: A Unique Initiative Launched by RTA to Paint Roads in Red Color
Penalties for Speeding Violations in the UAE
The penalties for speeding violations were increased significantly in the recently amended traffic law. The rules for speeding violations were also changed in the recently amended traffic law and speeding violations are now being penalized on the basis of the amount of speeding committed above the maximum speed limit of a road.
Given below is a table that shows the new penalties for speeding violations in the UAE:
Also read: Reckless Driving Violations: Risks, Fines and Penalties in the UAE
Significance of Painting Roads in Red Color
RTA is known for its tireless efforts to improve the road safety situation in Dubai. Speeding has emerged as one of the most dangerous traffic violations over the last two years in Dubai and this is why traffic authorities have been taking many initiatives to discourage motorists from over-speeding.
Listed below are some of the most significant initiatives taken by authorities in recent times to control over-speeding violations in Dubai:
- Increase in speeding fines in the New Traffic Law
- Launch of awareness campaigns to educate motorists about risks of over-speeding
- Change in speed limits based on data of speeding violations and traffic load on a particular road
- Painting the roads in red color to highlight the change in speed limit
Painting the roads in red color is significant because it gives a clear warning to motorists to drive within speed limits, otherwise they will face serious traffic penalties.
Also read: Understanding the Speeding Violations According to the New Traffic Law in the UAE
How Traffic Authorities Design Speed Limits for a Specific Road?
In order to recognize how over-speeding can disrupt the flow of traffic and cause dangerous road situations, it is important to first understand how traffic authorities design speed limits for a particular road. Designing and implementing speed limits on a road involves a study of following factors:
- Nature of a road
- Average traffic load on a particular road
- Pedestrian traffic
- Presence of mosques, schools and other residential or commercial buildings on a road
- Degree of urbanization on either side of the road
- Appropriate braking distance required while driving
All these factors are critically analyzed by the Road and Transport Authority before any new change in speed limit is implemented on a road. Motorists must comply with the speed limits so that a steady flow of traffic can be maintained on busy roads across Dubai. While over-speeding can put the road safety of motorists at risk, driving below the speed limit significantly can also cause serious traffic problems on a busy road.
Bottom-line
With unique initiatives taken by traffic authorities, the road safety situation is improving in Dubai by the day. It is now the responsibility of motorists to follow safe driving habits and avoid violating speed limits so that dangerous road situations can be avoided at all times.
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