Abu Dhabi Police has revealed stats for jumping the red signal and the numbers suggest that it was one of the deadliest traffic violations of 2017 in the emirate. The road safety situation improved from 2016 in 2017, particularly after the implementation of the newly amended traffic law and traffic authorities are now striving to ensure that 2018 proves to be an even better year for road safety in Abu Dhabi.
Authorities Warn Motorists against Red Signal Violation
Jumping the red signal was one of the most dangerous traffic violations recorded in 2017 and as a result authorities have now warned motorists against the dangers of committing a red signal violation. Traffic authorities have also been focused on gradually improving the traffic monitoring standards, which has helped them to nab down traffic offenders more efficiently than ever before.
Abu Dhabi traffic authorities are now planning to take stricter actions against red light offenders as jumping the red signal can prove to have deadly consequences on a busy road and can disturb the flow of traffic considerably.
Also read: Black Points over Minor Traffic Violations to be revoked in Abu Dhabi
Official Statement on Jumping the Red Signal
According to the recently revealed traffic stats, jumping the red signal near intersections emerged as the most dangerous type of red signal violation that motorists committed in 2017. Jumping the red signal along the intersections can be extremely dangerous as it can cause deadly collisions between multiple vehicles, which can increase the probability of road deaths.
According to the stats, 13,000 motorists were fined for committing red signal violation in 2017. Additionally, 6% of the road accidents in Abu Dhabi were caused by motorists who jumped the red signal. Brigadier Ahmad Al Shehhi, Deputy Director of the Traffic Patrol Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police said that motorists fail to pay attention while driving and commit many other dangerous violations while trying to cross the intersection before the traffic light turns red, which affects the road safety situation adversely.
Also read: Traffic Violations with Maximum Fines in the UAE
What Makes Jumping the Red Signal Extremely Dangerous?
Jumping the red signal is dangerous because while trying to pass an intersection while the traffic light is still green, motorists can commit many other dangerous violations such as tailgating, lane swerving, over-speeding and driving on the hard shoulder. All of these violations committed by motorists while trying to cross the intersection before their side’s traffic light turns red makes it an extremely dangerous time for motorists on other sides of the intersection to jump their side’s red signal. The combination of traffic violations committed by offenders with their side’s traffic signal being green and motorists on other sides of the intersection trying to jump the red signal spells disaster with a high possibility of fatalities.
One of the biggest road safety concerns associated with jumping the red signal is the risk of a run-over accident. According to traffic stats, 50 run-over accidents were recorded in Abu Dhabi during 2017, which made run-over accidents one of the major reasons behind road deaths in the UAE.
Also read: A Review of Road Safety Situation in Abu Dhabi during 2017
Why Motorists Jump Red Signal?
There could be multiple reasons behind drivers jumping the red signal on intersections. The fundamental reasons behind jumping the red signal could be lack of awareness about traffic rules, poor driving skills, unsafe driving habits or disrespect exhibited towards road safety practices.
Motorists can also commit red signal violation because of:
- Getting late for work
- Indecisive driving approach that attributes to failure of deciding whether to stop or keep driving when the traffic light is yellow
- Peer Pressure especially among young drivers
- Frustration caused by a traffic jam
- Panicked Driving
- Poor time management
Motorists can face different challenges while driving on Abu Dhabi roads including traffic jams, roads blocked because of a dangerous accident or difficult driving conditions induced by bad weather. It is important to manage your time properly so that you can avoid frustration caused by an unexpected road situation. Time management is most important for young and inexperienced drivers as they may need extra time to adjust while driving in challenging road or weather conditions.
Here is what motorists in Abu Dhabi can do to keep themselves calm under challenging driving conditions and avoid committing dangerous violations such as jumping the red signal.
- Manage your time in a way that you always allow yourself some extra minutes to reach your destination.
- If you are stuck in a long-standing traffic jam, try to find means of reducing your stress level. This can be an ideal time to listen to your favorite music as music therapy is considered as one of the best methods to reduce traffic-induced stress.
- Always keep a bottle of water and healthy snacks in your car. Drink water to avoid dehydration and eat something if you feel hungry to maintain body’s glucose level.
- Take deep breaths to calm yourself down in a frustrating traffic jam situation.
- Always remain aware of the penalties for dangerous traffic violations as it can help in developing a vigilant mindset to avoid traffic violations.
- Value your life and the life of other commuters on the road as getting late by few minutes shouldn’t be worth more than one’s life.
- Learn from mistakes made by other drivers on the road and don’t repeat them yourself.
- Be considerate of others on the road and follow road safety practices to avoid dangerous road situations.
Motorists mostly jump the red signal because of panicked driving and indecisiveness, which can easily be avoided by managing time and stress level as described in the aforementioned tips.
Also read: Abu Dhabi Police Plans to Revise the Speed Limits on Highways
How Advanced Driver-assistance Systems can help?
Driver-assistance systems found in new cars can help a great deal in avoiding dangerous driving mistakes induced by inattentive or panicked driving. An advanced driver-assistance system that can directly help in avoiding a red signal violation is the Traffic Sign Recognition System. This system consists of a forward-facing camera, which is connected with a character recognition software. The camera detects the traffic signs and relays the information into the driver’s display cluster to help in making the right choice while driving. This state-of-the-art driver-assistance system is found only in a few premium vehicles at present, however, it is expected to become a mainstream driver-assistance system in the upcoming vehicles soon.
Other driver-assisting features that can also help in avoiding the indecisive behavior among drivers that are trying to cross the intersections while the traffic light is still green are:
- Driver Attention Assist
- Intelligent Speed Assist
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Lane Departure Warning
- Head-Up Display
All of these driver-assisting technologies can help in avoiding dangerous driving mistakes such as lane swerving, over-speeding and tailgating and can help a driver in avoiding a reckless driving behavior. These advanced technologies help a driver in developing a careful and cautious driving mindset.
Also read: Traffic Penalties for Sudden Swerving and Poor Lane Changing in the UAE
Traffic Penalties for Jumping the Red Signal
Traffic rules were changed last year and the amended traffic law was implemented in the UAE on July 1, 2017. The penalties for dangerous traffic violations were increased significantly in the new traffic law to discourage motorists from committing these violations. The new traffic penalties for jumping the red signal in the UAE include a hefty fine of AED 1,000 and 12 black points issued against the driving license along with the confiscation of the vehicle for 30 days. Motorists must understand the importance of avoiding reckless driving behavior as it is the only way to avoid hefty traffic penalties and dangerous road situations.
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