According to a recently released report by Traffic Coordination Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, 16 road deaths have been recorded during the first 15 days of Ramadan in different areas of the UAE. Traffic authorities in the UAE have made their best efforts to reduce the risk of road fatalities during Ramadan by launching road safety awareness campaigns and monitoring traffic situation with the help of advanced radars and cameras.
The new report shows that road deaths have decreased in the first 15 days of Ramadan as compared to last year, however, 16 road deaths in 15 days is still an alarming number. According to the authorities, most of the fatal road accidents were caused by drivers’ failure to comply with the traffic rules.
Details of the Recently Released Traffic Report
The traffic stats of last few years clearly indicate that road accidents and road deaths increase during the month of Ramadan. In 2017, 26 road deaths were recorded in the first 15 days of Ramadan, which has decreased by 38% this year. During the first 15 days of Ramadan in 2018, as many as 111 major road accidents were recorded in the UAE in which 136 motorists were injured. Last year, 237 motorists were injured in dangerous road accidents during the first 15 days of Ramadan.
Given below are the reasons pointed out by the authorities for fatal road accidents recorded during the first 15 days of Ramadan this year:
- 38 accidents were caused by sudden lane changing.
- 16 accidents resulted from tailgating.
- 14 accidents were caused by distracted driving.
- 12 major accidents were caused by reckless driving behavior of motorists.
Authorities revealed that there were 31 more road accidents that were caused by other reasons. The above-mentioned figures clearly show that motorists failed to follow traffic rules and couldn’t maintain discipline on the road, which proved dangerous. Authorities have highlighted that distracted driving is one of the major reasons behind dangerous road accidents in Ramadan. Distracted driving can be caused by drowsiness felt by fasting motorists due to low blood sugar levels and dehydration, which is why it is important for motorists to sleep well and avoid driving when they feel too tired.
انخفاض وفيات الحوادث المرورية بالدولة بنسبة تفوق الـ 38 % في النصف الأول من شهر رمضان
The decrease of traffic accidents deaths in the country by more than 38% in the first half of Ramadan pic.twitter.com/L2rzZt7iZu
— MOIUAE (@moiuae) June 5, 2018
Also read: Road Safety Stats for the First Four Months of 2018 Revealed by Abu Dhabi Police
Official Statement
Colonel Abdullah Al Kaabi, Deputy Director General of Traffic Coordination at the Ministry of Interior said that most of the dangerous road accidents were caused by lack of respect shown by motorists towards traffic rules. Authorities have advised fasting motorists to take rest breaks while driving to avoid dangerous road situations caused by lack of attention while driving. This becomes more critical when driving on highways because you have to drive at a steady pace and remain attentive at all times.
Listed below are some of the tips that authorities have outlined for motorists to drive safely during the month of Ramadan:
- Take rest breaks while driving during the fasting period.
- Keep 100% attention on the road as the number of fatigued motorists can rise during the month of Ramadan, which increases the risk of dangerous road situations.
- Avoid over-speeding when driving through residential areas.
- Allow pedestrians to cross the road and be considerate of others.
- Avoid over-speeding near Iftar time.
Also read: How to Drive Safely in Heavy Traffic during Ramadan?
Bottom-line
Motorists have been advised by the authorities to maintain discipline while driving to avoid dangerous road situations during Ramadan. A number of awareness campaigns have been launched to educate motorists about safe driving practices while the Police Patrols have been kept on a high-alert to maintain road safety of all commuters during Ramadan. Motorists have been urged to manage their time effectively, take rest breaks while driving and sleep properly to avoid dangerous driving mistakes while fasting. This is how dangerous road accidents and their consequent road deaths can be avoided during the Holy month of Ramadan.
If you are looking to sell your used car to buy a new one with advanced safety features and improved performance, then don’t forget that with us, you can sell any used car in just 30 minutes while all the post-sale paperwork is handled by SellAnyCar.com’s team.
