860 Emiratis killed on roads in 4 years

Road accidents have killed 860 Emiratis over the past four years, an average of nearly one death every two days, police data showed.

A breakdown showed 2008 was the bloodiest year during that period as 251 Emiratis were killed in traffic mishaps.

The Interior Ministry figures showed 220 Emiratis died in road crashes in 2009 while 211 were killed in 2010 and 178 in 2011.

The death toll in 2011 accounted for nearly 24 per cent of the UAE’s total road accident deaths of 720, showed the statistics published in the Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum.

In 2010, nationals killed in road mishaps accounted for around 25.5 per cent of the total road death toll of 826.

The report showed Emiratis aging between 18 and 45 years were the main victim of road accidents in 2011, with a death toll of 116, nearly 65 per cent of the total Emiratis killed on roads last year.

“Those accidents have caused serious human, economic and social losses,” said Brigadier Gaith Al Zaabi, director general of the traffic coordination division at the Interior Ministry.

“They still pose an alarming obsession to authorities and the public given their painful effects.”

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