Registered traffic accidents in Dubai have risen by a frightening 95 per cent in the first seven months of the year, resulting in almost double the amount of road deaths.
The traffic accidents register showed the number of accidents had nearly doubled during the past seven months of the current year compared with the same period last year. The number of deaths had also risen from 55 to 101, with the police concerned that the 2013 death toll would increase after being on the decline in the past four years.
Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin, Director of the General Department of Traffic said the rise in accidents and death was shocking, as it was opposed to the Dubai Police’s strategies to reduce traffic accidents to less than 1 per cent by 2020. He said that traffic accidents had witnessed a remarkable drop since 2008 until it reached 122 last year compared to 134 in 2011.
Al Zafin expressed worries that the death rate would increase this year compared to the past four years. He attributed the rise in the death rate to the increase in population leading to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road. He added that there were several van accidents, too. Also, sometimes people, mostly Asians, insisted on crossing the road from non-designated areas leading to pedestrian deaths which represented 30 per cent of the total deaths.
He said that the increase in the number of deaths was odd and not in line with the Dubai Police’s strategy.
Statistics conducted by the General Department of Traffic of the Dubai police revealed that Pakistani drivers topped the list of drivers who committed traffic accidents followed by Indian drivers and then UAE drivers. He said 198 accidents were caused by Pakistani drivers representing 22.22 per cent of total traffic accidents that took place in the past five months. He explained that it resulted in 23 deaths. He pointed out that Indian drivers caused 187 traffic accidents resulting in 20 deaths while UAE nationals caused 172 accidents resulting in 17 deaths.
Al Zafin specifically called on the UAE, Pakistani and Indian drivers to abide by traffic laws and general safety rules and to avoid reckless driving.
He said that drivers belonging to the three nationalities have continued to top the list since the past four years.
Bangladeshi drivers came fourth followed by Egyptians, Iranians, British, Saudi and Syrian drivers.
