Road death fall after speed limits lowered

Eugene Harnan

• Last Updated: November 22. 2009 11:33PM UAE / November 22. 2009 7:33PM GMT

DUBAI // Deaths from car crashes in Dubai declined last year for the first time in eight years, after transport officials lowered the speed limit on several dangerous roads.

On one stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road, the limit was dropped from 120kph to 100kph and fatalities fell from 29 in 2007 to 10 last year, officials announced yesterday.

Overall, there were 157 traffic deaths last year, down from 180 in 2007.

Speeding is a major factor in fatal crashes, said Maitha bin Udai, the head of the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Traffic and Roads Agency.

“The RTA has constructed several strategic projects capable of curbing this dangerous trend,” she said. “[We] are continuously studying and revising the speed limits on roads with the highest accident rates.”

More than 3,300 people per day were caught speeding by radar and cameras last year, although the number of violations decreased slightly, from 1,310,184 in 2007 to 1,229,948.

Salah Bu Farousha, the chief traffic prosecutor, said speed cameras had helped slow down drivers. “People know where the cameras are on all the main roads ... and they are not going to go fast,” he said.

He said video cameras have also been effective in cutting down on reckless driving.

Graeme Williams, 38, a project manager from the UK, said he has noticed a difference. “It’s still bad, but it’s a lot better than it used to be. I still see accidents at the side of the road but I never see them happen in front of me.

“When I go to other emirates, the driving is a lot worse. People in Dubai seem to be more aware of the penalties.”

The number of pedestrians killed by cars also decreased last year, from 132 to 106.

To protect pedestrians, the RTA added eight footbridges over major roads, and nine more will open by the end of this year. When the remaining stops on the Metro’s Red Line open in February, 29 footbridges will open.

The RTA is making other changes as well. New laws will address jaywalking; licensing rules will change for drivers with less than two years’ experience; roads will be audited for engineering problems; and speed-limiting measures will be introduced on roads with high accident rates.

The traffic data will be published in the Statistical Yearbook 2008 early next year.

eharnan@thenational.ae

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