Speed, other offences kill 52 Emiratis on roads

Road accidents killed 52 Emiratis in the first quarter of 2012 and most of the deaths were caused by speed, jumping the red lights and other offences, according to traffic police statistics.

The death toll was lower than that in the first quarter of 2011, when 60 Emiratis died in road mishaps through the UAE, the figures showed.

Accidents in the first quarter of 2012 killed 29 nationals on motorways and 23 on internal roads.

“Speed remains the main cause of accidents and death of Emiratis on roads as it resulted in 13 deaths or around 25 per cent of the total,” said Brigadier Gaith Al Zaabi, director of traffic coordination at the Interior Ministry.

Quoted by the Arabic language daily Al Bayan, he said 12 Emiratis were also killed in accidents caused by jumping the red lights, reckless driving and negligence. Sudden swerving to another lane also caused 12 deaths while the rest of the accidents were a result of illegal overtaking and negligence.

He said some crashes were also caused by poor driving, in an apparent reference to those who do not have driving licence.

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