Over 4.4 million traffic offences in UAE in 9 months

Drivers in the UAE committed more than 4.4 million traffic offences in the first nine months of 2011, a whopping 16,540 offences per day.

The figure means the UAE is maintaining its position as having one of the highest traffic offence and accident rates in the world relative to its population. With 4.46 million offences, the rate to the total population stood at one offence for every two persons and almost five offences for every car.

The figures on the offences were revealed by Brigadier Gaith Al Zaabi, director of the traffic coordination department at the Ministry of Interior in an interview with the Sharjah-based Arabic language daily Alkhaleej.

Despite such a huge number, it was below the staggering 4.89 million offences in the first nine months of 2010, Zaabi said.

“There was a decline of around nine per cent, or nearly 432,000 in the first nine months of 2011 compared with the same period of 2010,” he said.

“The decline was a result of efforts by the traffic departments through the UAE to educate the public about the seriousness of road offences which result in accidents in most cases.”

He said around 1.86 million or nearly 41 per cent of the total offences last year involved exceeding the speed limit by at least 30 km.

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