The Abu Dhabi Transport Authority has decided to take strong steps to maintain road safety during bad weather conditions. In a major new development, the Abu Dhabi Transport Authority has announced that speed limits on Abu Dhabi roads will be reduced to 80 Km/h whenever the visibility decreases to 200 metres or less. This is an important road safety initiative taken by authorities to ensure that dangerous road accidents caused by over-speeding in low visibility conditions can be reduced. This initiative has been taken ahead of the winter season in the UAE when extremely foggy conditions with a significant drop in visibility can be frequently observed.
Adverse weather conditions can take a toll on any driver and it becomes very important to adopt a defensive approach while driving in such conditions. Traffic authorities have advised motorists to be careful when driving in bad weather and avoid dangerous traffic violations such as over-speeding, tailgating and sudden swerving.
لجنة السلامة المرورية” تطبق المنظومة الذكية لخفض السرعات أثناء الضباب والظروف الجوية المتقلبة في أبوظبي#شرطك_أبوظبي
@stscabudhabi @AbuDhabiDoT @AbuDhabi_ADM pic.twitter.com/SGqoihWYUp— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) November 7, 2018
Details of the New Development
Traffic Safety Committee in Abu Dhabi has announced that speed limits will be reduced to 80 Km/h during low visibility conditions and the movements of motorists will be continuously monitored through radars and speed cameras. The speed cameras and radars will be adjusted according to the reduced speed limits to catch speeding offenders. The modified speed limits will be displayed on Smart Towers that have been installed on Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street and Shaikh Khalifa Street. Motorists will need to follow the reduced speed limits until the visibility improves to a safe level.
The National Center of Metrology and Seismology’s visibility sensors will be used to monitor the visibility conditions and speed radars and cameras will be adjusted accordingly. The Traffic Safety Committee emphasized the use of the National Early Warning System to send notifications to motorists to drive safely whenever bad weather conditions are forecasted. The authorities are working on developing futuristic systems and programs to further improve the road safety situation in the emirate.
#رسائل_توعوية#awareness_messages@abudhabidot@stscabudhabi @NCMS_media pic.twitter.com/VBl3op6sto
— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) November 9, 2018
Also read: Motorists Warned Against Using Hazard Lights in Fog
Motorists Advised to Drive Safely by Authorities
The Traffic Safety Committee has urged motorists to value their safety and the safety of other commuters by following safe driving practices in low visibility conditions. The Committee has advised motorists to comply with directions on Smart Towers and drive within the reduced speed limits whenever the visibility decreases below 200 metres. Authorities have also advised motorists to leave a safe distance between vehicles and avoid changing lanes without using indicators in low visibility conditions.
Public Response on the New Initiative
The initiative to reduce speed limits on Abu Dhabi roads during low visibility conditions has been acknowledged by road safety campaigners as well as motorists. Motorists have appreciated the efforts of authorities, however, they have labeled the new initiative theoretically great, but difficult to be managed in reality. Motorists in Abu Dhabi have also expressed their reservations on how authorities will inform motorists about the reduced speed limits. The traffic authorities, on the other hand, have emphasized that the new system is efficient and capable to help manage traffic in a safe manner during low visibility conditions.
Thomas Edelmann, the Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE termed the new initiative as a timely and much-needed development. He added that motorists should now cooperate with authorities to make the new road safety initiative successful. He said that motorists should understand the risks of careless driving and reduce the speed of their vehicles to drive safely in low visibility conditions.
Also read: Dense Fog Hits the UAE – Everything You Need to Know about Driving Safely in Foggy Conditions
Bottom-line
Smart Towers have been installed on major roads across Abu Dhabi to monitor traffic and to alert motorists about reduced speed limits in low visibility conditions. Motorists can face hefty penalties for over-speeding according to the traffic law of the UAE so it is important for motorists to comply with reduced speed limits whenever visibility reduces below 200 metres.
Here are the penalties for speeding violations according to the traffic law of the UAE:
This road safety initiative has been taken for the well-being of motorists, however, any drastic improvement in road safety situation can only be observed if motorists recognize their responsibilities and drive in a careful manner whenever visibility drops below a safe level.
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.
