Traffic Awareness Campaign: Speed thrills but kills

In the last part of the KT traffic awareness campaign, we find out how overspeeding has turned out to be the major killer on UAE roads

Vehicles flipping over, tossing and turning turtle as well as collisions, which have been classified as ‘horrific’ due to the number of lives they have claimed, are mainly caused by over speeding and ignorance of safety traffic rules.

Top police officials from the Sharjah Traffic Police said these kinds of accidents formed 80 per cent of the overall road incidents that took place in Sharjah during 2011 and 2012. But the number of pedestrian accidents has gone down by 70 per cent due to newly constructed foot bridges, zebra crossings and pedestrian under passes.

By 2013 the pedestrian death and injuries due to hit-and-run accidents hope to be reduced by 90 per cent as concerned authorities in coordination with the police are making great efforts to initiate more pedestrian crossings and bridges based on the demand of the public in vital areas.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Major-General Humaid Mohammed Al Hudaidi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, said that road fatalities have been reduced by 50 per cent due to awareness efforts carried out by the Sharjah Police, and also the continuous inspection campaign targeting violators has played a great role in reducing the number of violations to half as compared to last year.

Colonel Shawaf Abdurrahman, Director of Traffic and Patrol Section of Sharjah Police, said the speed and lack of attention while driving caused the ‘horrific’ accidents, despite the warnings against speeding by the police and deployment of more patrols at intersections.

Most of the incidents took place on roads including Malaiha, Al Dhaid, Sharjah Ring Road, Sharjah Emirates Road, Airport Road and Al Madam Road.

Most of these fatal accidents are linked to over-speeding that leads to losing control of the wheel and hitting the median or colliding with other cars. The impact of such accidents is so intense that the vehicle turns over several times, killing the drivers and his passengers instantly. This year more than 20 such horrific accidents took place on various roads of the Emirate and claimed the lives of many people and also caused disability to many others.

Citing example of recent accidents Col. Shawaf said that recently a four-wheel drive hit the road median and rolled over several times in Al Dhaid area after its driver lost control due to speeding, killing two persons, aged 54 and 30, and injuring four others badly in the afternoon. This year also, such flipping over accidents caused due to overspeeding have claimed three lives and injured four in Sharjah. In another accident, an Arab woman died on the spot as her car hit another vehicle head-on which was coming from the opposite direction but suddenly crossed over the road median and landed in the woman’s car lane after its driver lost control over the wheel in Al Mirgab area.

Following these horrific accidents the police deployed more patrols at intersections, roundabouts, highways and crowded areas like shopping centres. They also issued several warnings, asking people to exercise caution and avoid speeding.

He once again called on the motorists to adhere to the traffic rules, abide by the speed limits and be cautious while driving in highways and internal roads.

By 2013 more patrol will be deployed in the streets and more radars and cameras will be installed on all highways to reduce speed violation. The police would not tolerate speedsters who endanger their lives as well as the lives of others. They would have to pay hefty fines, gain black points and also get their licence suspended. - afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

Road shoulders to be used in emergency only

Amira Agarib

Several people who spoke to Khaleej Times attributed the rise in the number of road accidents to fewer number of road shoulders.

Sometimes vehicles occupy road shoulders and sidewalks when they want to avoid traffic jams, said one engineer El He.

Hassan Ali said some truck drivers may feel tired or exhausted but there are no rest places on high ways so some of them park their cars on road shoulders, which could cause accidents. He noted that the concerned authorities should construct rest areas or make wide road shoulders around the city.

Aysha Ahmed said that due to traffic jams from Sharjah to Dubai, some drivers who live in Sharjah and work in Dubai, drive their cars on road shoulders to be able to drive fast and reach their offices and this may cause accidents as people who have a real emergency are unable to find a place to pull over.

Al Warqa has become a densely-populated area, with thousands of people from inside and outside Dubai flocking to it despite the small space, he said. Adventurous youths, looking to engage in different hobbies, have made the neighbourhood a busy place with uncertainties. That spurred DCAS, armed with its four wheel drive vehicles, to be on alert, and cope with any eventuality, he said.

• Transport