Risky days and times to drive in Abu Dhabi

Newly released figures from the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police showed a significant improvement in the levels of traffic safety in Abu Dhabi in 2014 compared to last year.

Brigadier Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, revealed that Sunday and Thursday are days of the week that witnessed the most traffic accidents.

The total number of accidents that occurred on Thursday amounted to 17% of the total number of accidents, followed by 16% on Sunday.

He pointed out the statistics revealed that the time of the day that witnesses the highest number of traffic accidents is between 4 pm and 8 pm.

Statistics also revealed that the day that witnesses the highest level of traffic violations is Wednesday, with 16% of the total number of violations committed during the week.

Traffic violations increase during the period from 8am to 12pm.

Traffic accident fatalities decline

The number of traffic accident fatalities declined by 8%, from 289 in 2013 to 267 in 2014 and severe injuries decreased by 34%, from 366 2013 to 240 in 2014.The rate of fatalities has improved per 10,000 vehicles by 15%. Traffic accidents decreased overall by 10%, from 2071 to 1861, despite the number of registered vehicles and drivers increasing by 9% over the period.

Brigadier Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, attributed the improvement in traffic safety levels to the directorate’s efforts in implementing the long-term strategic plan that includes 6 key pillars, known as 6E+I. The five-year  integrated plan, which focuses on traffic control, educational and awareness campaigns, road engineering development, rapid emergency response and healthcare, and continuous evaluation of outcomes  and performance indicators; and community partnership.

Key positive results achieved during the past year include a decrease in the number of deaths due to sudden swerving by 47% from 73 to 39; deaths that occurred due to failure to leave sufficient distance between vehicles decreased by 49%, from 43 to 22 deaths; the number of fatalities that occurred due to not ensuring the path is clear before entering a road decreased by 43% from 14 to 8 deaths; neglect and lack of attention led to a decrease in the number of deaths by 17% from 12 to 10; and the number of deaths caused by fatigue and drowsiness decreased by 44% from 9 to 5 deaths.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.