Abu Dhabi Police has announced its plans to revise speed limits on highways. The traffic authorities have undertaken a study to revise speed limits on highways and once this move is finalized, the information about the revised speed limits will be provided to motorists through various social media networking sites, media news and other platforms.
Abu Dhabi Police is expected to release the details about the new speed limits soon and this move will not come as a surprise, considering over-speeding on highways has been a major road safety concern for authorities in recent times.
How Speeding Affected the Road Safety Situation in Abu Dhabi During 2017?
Over-speeding remained the most dangerous traffic violation of 2017 in Abu Dhabi and dangerous road accidents were continuously recorded on highways as well as on busy city roads because of over-speeding violations. The reckless driving behavior and lack of awareness about road safety practices were the reasons behind repeated over-speeding violations committed by motorists.
According to traffic stats of 2017, speeding topped the list of traffic violations that deteriorated the road safety situation in Abu Dhabi last year. A large number of motorists were fined for speeding violations and though the numbers reduced slightly from 2016, speeding violations still continued to worsen the traffic flow in Abu Dhabi during 2017. Abu Dhabi Police issued 370,320 speeding tickets in 2017 as reckless motorists continued to violate traffic rules in the emirate.
Speeding has been one of the deadliest traffic violations in Abu Dhabi over the last few years and this is why traffic authorities have continued to change speed limits on different roads and highways. Traditionally, the speed limit for highways is implemented after a thorough study of a particular road/highway that includes critically analyzing its traffic load, the number of road accidents observed over a specific period and many other important factors.
Also read: A Review of Road Safety Situation in Abu Dhabi during 2017
Expected Change in the Revised Speed Limits
Authorities have granted a specific speed limit buffer, which is also known as grace speed limit among motorists. It means that motorists are allowed to drive their vehicle up to a certain speed that is actually more than the assigned speed limit of a road. On highways in Abu Dhabi, there is a 20 Km/h speed limit buffer for motorists, which is now expected to be reduced or removed completely as motorists have been found committing over-speeding violations thinking that they could get away with it because of the speed limit buffer. However, this will not be possible any longer as authorities have planned to end the speed limit buffer on highways.
According to the announcement, motorists will be notified about the change in speed limits timely through social media and other news sources. In recent times, traffic authorities across the UAE have used different means to make motorists aware of a change in speed limits. One such unique way of providing awareness about a changed speed limit was to color the roads in red color and mark the new speed limits on these red painted roads. This practice was followed in Dubai and gained immense public interest and appreciation as it helped motorists remain alert of the revised speed limits. This practice or any other unique method can also be adopted to inform Abu Dhabi motorists about a revised speed limit once the authorities finalize their decision.
#AbuDhabiPolice has confirmed that the new speed limits are still under study in collaboration with strategic partners.
Once a decision is made regarding this issue, Abu Dhabi Police will inform the public through the media and social media in the right time. pic.twitter.com/KNVcvEnUKU— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) February 19, 2018
Also read: Number of Speed Radars to Increase on Abu Dhabi Highways
What are the Penalties for Speeding Violations in the UAE?
The penalties for speeding violations were increased considerably in the UAE after the implementation of the amended traffic law. According to the new law, speeding violations have been categorized on the basis of the amount of speeding committed by motorists above the specific speed limit of a road. Based on this criterion, the highest penalty for a speeding violation includes a hefty fine of AED 3,000, 23 black points issued against the offender’s driving license and confiscation of the vehicle for 60 days.
Here is the table that provides the details of the speeding penalties according to the new traffic law:
With the decision of revising speed limits still pending, it is yet to be seen how it will affect the incremental speeding penalties.
Also read: Understanding the Speeding Violations According to the New Traffic Law in the UAE
Why it is important to Follow Speed Limits of a Road?
Speed limits for a road are designed after thorough study of that road by the road and transport authorities. A number of factors are analyzed to design the speed limits of a road and not following these speed limits can be extremely dangerous as it can be fatal for the speeding offender as well as other commuters.
Following speed limits on highways becomes even more important because any speeding violations can result in a high-speed impact crash between two or more vehicles and can prove to have deadly consequences. This is why motorists should remain careful and follow the speed limits especially on highways.
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