AD road deaths sharply down in first half

Run-over road accidents involving cars and pedestrians killed 27 people in Abu Dhabi in the first half of this year, nearly 38.6 per cent below the 44 road deaths in the first half of 2010, according to police data.

Serious injuries resulting from such accidents also declined by around 27 per cent to 27 from 37 cases, the figures showed.

Police said such accidents had been caused mainly by negligence, speeding, reckless driving, jumping the red lights and failure by drivers to give priority to pedestrians on traffic crossings on roads.

“The decline in casualties from such accidents was a result of intensified police patrols on roads and awareness campaigns within an ongoing traffic strategy aimed at reducing accidents,” said lt colonel Jamal Al Amiri, director of the accident reduction committee at the Abu Dhabi traffic police.

Quoted by the Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum, he said the strategy is also targeting pedestrians to make them respect road rules and use assigned crossings in their movements on roads. He added that pedestrians caught offending such rules will be fined Dh200.

“In the first half of this year, our patrols caught 8,301 people violating the pedestrian crossing rules in the city,” he said, adding that more bridges and underpasses would be constructed at key roads in the capital.

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