Caught on camera: 10k jump Dubai’s red lights

Police cameras controlling Dubai’s streets recorded a whopping 10,000 red light jumping offences in the emirate in the first 11 months of 2011, resulting in the death of 10 people, according to traffic police statistics.

The death toll this year is father higher than the four deaths caused by jumping the red signal in the first 11 months of 2010, they showed.

“Our cameras registered nearly 10,000 offences involving jumping the red signal in the first 11 months of this year,” said Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin, director of Dubai’s traffic department.

His figures showed such offences involved 400 drivers and caused 187 accidents this year, resulting in the death of 10 people and injury of 226. The injuries included 119 drivers, 87 passengers and 10 pedestrians.

“There is a major problem related to jumping the red lights since the motorist is always caught off guard by the other vehicles coming the other way…such offences also pose a threat to the lives of pedestrians,” Zafin said.

“Many of these offences are unethical…for example, our cameras recorded one white car which was travelling at high speed as it jumped the red signal and nearly rammed into a driving learning vehicle….these offenders normally are not concerned about the lives of road users.”

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