Dubai roads to be as safe as any other major city

DUBAI // The emirate's transport chief today said he hopes road deaths in Dubai would drop to levels close to those of some of the world's major cities in the next five years. Mattar al Tayer, chairman of the Board and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority, said by 2015 the number of fatalities would drop to "levels comparable to those prevailing in the world's best cities". He said in a speech marking the launch of the GCC Traffic Week that the number of road deaths in Dubai decreased by 40 per cent over the past five years. "The excellent co-operation and co-ordination between the RTA and the Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police General Headquarters and Driving Institutes has yielded a drop in traffic accidents fatality rate in the Emirate of Dubai from 21 cases per 100,000 of population in 2005 to about 12.7 cases per 100,000 cases of population in 2009," said Mr al Tayer. The drop was, he said, an "excellent achievement judging by international safety standards". As part of GCC Traffic Week, each member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, including the UAE, is promoting road safety. Members hope to reduce road fatalities and improving driving standards across the region. eharnan@thenational.ae