Deathly weekend: 5 die on Sharjah roads

Sharjah Police launched a traffic awareness campaign aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths and accidents after five people - including three children - died on the emirate's roads over the weekend.

According to media reports the campaign will include increased patrols in residential areas and the distribution of brochures and media messages, police said yesterday.

About 350 accidents a day are being recorded on the emirate's streets and more than 40 pedestrians have been killed so far this year. 

The campaign also seeks to remind parents not to put their children in the front seats, as well as urging motorists to fasten their seat belts and not talk on mobile phones while driving. Uniformed and plain clothed police will be on the road looking out for offenders.

A 13-year-old girl died in an accident around midnight on Saturday in which her family's car collided with a speeding car at the Sheikh Saud bin Saqar roundabout. Two members of her family were seriously injured and rushed to hospital.

In a similar incident, two Emirati men in their early 20s died yesterday morning when their car collided with another vehicle on the Sheikh Humaid Bin Saqar Road.

Three other people were seriously injured in the crash, including the driver of the other vehicle. And on Friday night two sisters, pupils at the Maryam Primary School, suffered fatal injuries in a crash in the Shahba area.

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