The road safety situation in the UAE has been improving since the implementation of the amended traffic law last year. The traffic data of one year following the implementation of the amended traffic law shows great signs of improvement in road safety situation, which is a testament to the efforts of authorities who have worked tirelessly to improve road safety for all commuters in the UAE.
A road safety event was held in Abu Dhabi to acknowledge the recent achievements of traffic authorities and to discover new prospects for further improvement in the road safety situation. Many big names from the automotive industry including experts and companies were amongst the attendees of the event where road safety was the main agenda of the meeting.
Details of the Recently Held Road Safety Event in Abu Dhabi
The road safety event was organized in New York University Abu Dhabi and the attendees of the event included traffic authorities, transport experts, campaigners and companies. Different aspects of road safety were brought into consideration as the attendees of the event shared their opinions on the current road safety situation and how it could be improved in the future. All attendees agreed on the fact that road safety situation had improved significantly after the implementation of the amended traffic law. However, there was still room for improvement if the authorities were to achieve their goal of reducing road deaths to 3 deaths per 100,000 people per year as per the “UAE Vision 2021.”
Also read: A New Road Safety Campaign Launched by Abu Dhabi Police
An Overview of Road Safety Situation in the Country
Road safety situation in the UAE has improved considerably, however, there are still some major concerns that need to be addressed by the authorities. The number of road accidents and their consequent deaths have decreased from last year, yet a lot needs to be done to achieve the “UAE Vision 2021” of reducing road deaths to 3 deaths per 100,000 people per year.
In the current state of affairs, it can be said that authorities have come a long way from where they were at the end of 2016. The year 2016 was a noticeably bad year for road safety situation in the UAE as an unfortunate rise in road accidents and road deaths was observed that year. A large number of fatal road accidents were recorded in which many people lost their lives. Traffic violations committed by motorists had broken previous records and the road safety situation continued to worsen throughout the year. The number of road deaths was 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, which was unacceptable.
This is when traffic authorities and the UAE government toughened their stance against traffic offenders. A number of recommendations were made by all stakeholders to improve the road safety situation, which ultimately led to the implementation of the amended traffic law in the country. The amended traffic law was implemented in July 2017 with an aim to penalize traffic offenders more effectively and to improve the road safety situation. The penalties for dangerous traffic violations were increased in the amended traffic law while a number of new traffic violations were also introduced to make motorists more aware of their responsibilities. Authorities also launched many campaigns to aware motorists of the changes made to the traffic law. All these efforts have ultimately paid great dividends and road safety situation has improved significantly as we inch closer to the end of 2018.
Also read: Road Safety Stats for the First Four Months of 2018 Revealed by Abu Dhabi Police
How the Current Road Safety Stats Stack Up?
According to authorities, 525 people lost their lives in 2017, which came down from 650 road deaths recorded in 2016. The latest figures reveal that road deaths have reduced to 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the UAE this year, which is a great achievement of authorities in such a short period of time. However, there is still a long way to go as authorities aim at achieving the target of reducing road deaths to 3 deaths per 100,000 people by the end of 2021. If the road safety situation continues to improve at the current pace, there is a great possibility that this target will be achieved in time.
How Road Safety Situation in the UAE can be improved?
At the road safety event held in Abu Dhabi, a number of recommendations were made to improve the road safety situation in the country. The major initiatives taken by authorities to find a solution to traffic problems of the country were appreciated and new possibilities for further improvement in road safety situation were explored.
Emphasis on Wearing Seatbelt and Time Management
Thomas Edelmann, the founder of RoadSafetyUAE emphasized the importance of educating people about the dangerous consequences of reckless driving behavior. Thomas Edelmann also indicated that 60% of the road deaths recorded in 2018 involved people who were not wearing a seatbelt. He mentioned how not wearing a seatbelt has been a prevalent cause behind road deaths in the country and asked authorities to intensify their efforts to ensure that all passengers in a vehicle wear seatbelts.
A new seatbelt policy was introduced in 2018 according to which motorists can now face hefty penalties for violation of the seatbelt rules. The safety of child passengers was particularly emphasized in the new policy to ensure that the risk of road deaths involving children can be completely eliminated. To know about the new seatbelt policy in detail, read our blog titled, The UAE Cabinet Approves Policy on Car Safety Seats for Children.
Thomas Edelmann also suggested that the importance of time management cannot be ignored and people should always allow themselves a few extra minutes to reach their destination. He added that running late is the fundamental reason behind over-speeding, which can often lead to dangerous road accidents.
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— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) September 26, 2018
Distracted Driving Remains a Big Safety Concern
Lieutenant Yusuf Saeed from Abu Dhabi Police also shared his viewpoint at the road safety event and highlighted distracted driving as a major road safety concern for authorities. He said that complacency, overconfidence and lack of attention while driving are a few major reasons that can result in dangerous road situations. He said that fast reactions and quick anticipation in emergency situations is only possible if a driver maintains 100% attention on the road while driving.
Key Takeaways from the Road Safety Event
The recent road safety event was held in a good spirit where major stakeholders discussed obstacles that hindered the improvement of road safety situation in the country. Not wearing a seatbelt, poor time management, over-speeding and distracted driving were identified to be the major causes behind dangerous road accidents in the country and a consensus was developed on raising more awareness amongst motorists on being more careful and attentive while driving. The road safety situation has improved significantly from previous years, however, a lot still needs to be done to achieve road safety objectives that the traffic authorities have set for themselves in line with the UAE Vision 2021.
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