Abu Dhabi launches road safety campaign

The Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate has launched an integrated campaign for traffic control and raising awareness on the “5 main causes of traffic and truck accidents” that occur on internal and external roads in Abu Dhabi. The campaign is in pursuance of the Directorate’s traffic safety strategy that aims to reduce traffic accidents and their resulting human and economic losses. Lt. Colonel Ahmed Al Zayoudi, the chief of the Major Traffic Accidents Section at Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said the five main causes for traffic accidents in the emirate were: running red lights; driving at high speeds without taking the road into account; lack of attention by motorists; failure to leave sufficient distance between vehicles; and non-compliance with road lanes. He pointed out that these were the causes for 448 accidents, and accounted for 22 per cent of the number of traffic accidents (2057 accidents) during the same period. The campaign also included intensified awareness-raising efforts and traffic control for truck drivers, due to the high risks of truck accidents on all road users; whereas truck accidents accounted for nearly 11 per cent of the total number of traffic accidents that occurred in the emirate last year, said the directorate in a statement. "The campaign aims to enhance traffic safety, and urge motorists to abide by traffic laws in order to curtail the five main causes of traffic accidents, by intensifying traffic control on internal and external roads," said Al Zayoudi. "Moreover, the awareness programs associated with the campaign also include organizing lectures and distributing publications in Arabic, English and Urdu in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western Region, as well as in locations where truck drivers gather on Al Ghuwaifat Highway," he added. Source: TradeArabia News Service