Heavy traffic in Abu Dhabi as students return to school

Abu Dhabi Police on Sunday increased patrols to cope with the hundreds of thousands of pupils returning to school after the three-week holiday.

It is not just pupils getting lessons as schools go back, parents and drivers are the target of a road safety plan. Christopher Pike / The National
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ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi Police on Sunday increased patrols to cope with the hundreds of thousands of pupils returning to school after the three-week holiday.

Police monitored the roads around schools to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

Police and the Abu Dhabi Education Council will be running a road safety scheme this term, which includes lectures in schools and brochures for parents and children.

Brig Khamis Mohammed, director of the Abu Dhabi Police’s traffic directorate, urged parents to follow traffic laws, cut their speed and make sure children aged under 10 are buckled up in the back seat during journeys to and from school.

Parents should refrain from sudden stops in school zones to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

School bus drivers were reminded by police to check that all pupils got on and off the bus safely and that the bus was empty when it reached its final destination.

Bus drivers were also told to wear seat belts, to keep an eye on children as they crossed the roads after being dropped off, not to tailgate other vehicles and not to use mobile phones while driving.

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