Sharjah Police has launched a new road safety campaign in the emirate to promote the use of seatbelts. Under the new campaign, motorists have been issued yellow cards, which is part of the efforts made by authorities to emphasize the importance of wearing seatbelts. The Sharjah Police also posted a video on its Instagram page where Police can be seen issuing yellow cards to motorists.
A few months ago, Abu Dhabi Police began to issue yellow cards to motorists to warn them against committing dangerous violations in school zones. While the yellow card is often taken as a sign of warning, the purpose behind issuing yellow cards to motorists in Sharjah is to appreciate their compliance with seatbelt rules.
This is a timely initiative taken by Sharjah Police to promote the use of seatbelts amongst motorists as not wearing a seatbelt has been identified as one of the major reasons behind road fatalities in the emirate.
شكراً لكم ، أنتم الأساس و نحن من يكمل معكم في إنجاح الأهداف 👍🏻#حزامك_أمانك @ShjPolice pic.twitter.com/VP6RsPTIgZ
— Ahmad AlShehhi🇦🇪 أحمد الشحي (@3ymani) January 20, 2019
Also read: Public Awareness about Seatbelt Rules Still Considerably Low, New Survey Finds
Details of the New Road Safety Campaign
The new two-week road safety campaign is called “Hezamak Amanak” (Your belt, your safety) and it aims at developing an understanding about the importance of fastening seatbelts while driving. Over the years, Sharjah Police has taken several initiatives to recognize and acknowledge safe driving behavior of motorists. Various awareness campaigns have been launched regularly in Sharjah to emphasize the importance of following safe driving practices, particularly wearing the seatbelts. The use of seatbelts is often ignored by motorists, which is a dangerous offence that can potentially have fatal consequences.
In an effort to appreciate the safe driving behavior of motorists who wear seatbelts, Sharjah Police distributed yellow cards with a large “Thank You” written on them. The card reads, “Thank you for wearing your seatbelt. You have helped raise safety levels on the road as a result of your dedication.” Sharjah Police also posted a video on its Instagram page where Police can be seen distributing yellow cards amongst motorists who were wearing seatbelts. The video also shows Police advising motorists to buckle up if they were not wearing seatbelts already.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5BYbXD_3L
Also read: New Traffic Rule Amendments in the UAE – Everything You Need to Know
New Seatbelt Rules in the UAE
The traffic law of the UAE was amended last year in an effort to improve road safety situation in the country. The traffic fines for many dangerous traffic violations were increased while a number of new traffic violations were introduced to discourage motorists from committing dangerous driving mistakes. Seatbelt rules were also changed and a new seatbelt policy was implemented in the UAE. According to the new seatbelt policy, it is the responsibility of the driver to make sure that all passengers in a vehicle wear seatbelts. A driver can face a fine of AED 400 per passenger who fails to buckle up while 4 black points will be issued against the license of the driver.
New rules for child passengers were also introduced in the amended seatbelt policy to eliminate the risk of road deaths involving children on the UAE roads.
According to the new rules:
- Children under four years of age must be seated in a child safety seat that should be installed in a vehicle if not installed already. Offenders will face a fine of AED 400 and four black points will be issued against their driving license.
- Children under 10 years of age cannot sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
- Anyone who is less than 145cm tall cannot sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
All of these rules must be followed by motorists to avoid penalties for seatbelt violations. Child safety must be ensured at all costs as the risk of child passenger being thrown out of a vehicle increases massively in the event of a road accident if he/she is sitting in the front seat or if the child safety seat is not installed in the back seat. Motorists must be careful as wearing seatbelts and installing child safety seats in vehicles can potentially help in avoiding road fatalities.
Bottom-line
The new road safety campaign launched by Sharjah Police promotes the use of seatbelts amongst motorists. The distribution of yellow cards is an excellent gesture by Sharjah Police that is expected to encourage motorists to buckle-up while driving. Dangerous road accidents and fatalities can be easily avoided in Sharjah if motorists recognize their responsibilities and adopt a careful and defensive driving approach.
To learn about fundamentals of defensive driving, read our blog titled, 5 Fundamentals of Defensive Driving that Every Driver Should Know.
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