According to Colonel Khamis Ishaq Mohammed, Acting Director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, the statistics released by the Directorate reveal that of the combined number of accidents over the past nine months for the current year, 63 percent of the accidents have been committed by young persons aged 18-35. The death rates for the same driving segment reached to about 34 percent of the total deaths from traffic accidents during the aforementioned period.
He reported that the main causes of the accidents were a result of sudden swerving; not leaving a sufficient safety distance between vehicles; speeding without considering the road conditions; running red lights; and of negligence and lack of attention while driving among other reasons.
“There are ongoing programs that aim to raise the level of traffic culture among the youth,” he said; as he pointed out that the vast majority of license holders in Abu Dhabi are aged 18-30 and account for 53.6 percent of the total license holders in the emirate.
“The programs have intensified their awareness campaigns via social media, exhibitions, and lectures held at universities and other educational institutions and networks,” he said. “These efforts to open up the channels of communication and dialogue with young drivers are taken in order to improve their driving behavior, as we continue to urge them to abide by the traffic laws.” The Director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate additionally highlighted the efforts made to raise community awareness through the people-oriented councils that aim to activate the role of the families and the community in addressing the risks related to excessive speeding, running red lights, negligence and lack of attention, failure to leave a sufficient safety distance between vehicles, and sudden swerving.
Furthermore, he highlighted the comprehensive traffic safety plan that has been adopted in order to reduce the violations committed by young people. The plan has increased the number of radars and developed a system to identify motorists who run red lights in order to achieve the highest level of traffic safety on the roads, to avoid serious traffic accidents and the resulting fatalities and severe injuries.
The Director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate also warned against the serious consequences that result from driving at dangerous speeds due to carelessness, recklessness, or failure to pay attention to the speedometer. He said that such circumstances often lead to the driver’s inability to control the vehicle, handle sudden or emergency-related road conditions; and reduce the driver’s ability to accurately estimate distances or see closer objects that are in front of the vehicle. “The drivers who exceed the speed limits that are designated on the road signs are caught through radars, traffic patrols, and traffic investigations,” he said.
Concluding, he called upon parents to monitor their children; to adhere to the traffic laws and designated speeds; to avoid reckless driving; and to not allow non-license holders to drive in order to maintain their safety and the safety of others. He indicated that traffic safety is a shared duty and responsibility that requires joint action and concerted efforts between the various public entities and community members in order to encourage motorists and pedestrians - particularly the youth - to act responsibly towards themselves and others by complying with traffic laws and speed limits.
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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-666-4891
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
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