Twenty pedestrians were killed in run-over accidents during the first half of 2017, compared to 29 deaths during the same period the year before, according to Dubai Police.
“Such accidents were mainly caused by pedestrians’ poor judgment and negligence by motorists who do not give priority to people crossing the road," said Col Jamal Al Banai, Deputy Director of Dubai Traffic Police.
Many of the accidents took place place in internal roads rather than motorways, he said .
“Drivers need to be tolerant and give way to pedestrians when it’s safe to do so at uncontrolled crossings.
They need to comply with traffic signals and drive at appropriate speeds, which might be well below the speed limit in the vicinity of pedestrians and crossings,” Col Al Banai said.
Several pedestrian bridges have been opened and speed bumps and signage installed in coordination with Road and Transport Authority to help reduce instances of jaywalking.
Similarly, police have carried out a number of awareness campaigns to educate the public about the importance of crossing the road at designated areas and abiding by traffic rules.
More radar and surveillance cameras have been installed in accident-prone areas as part of increased efforts to prevent motorists from speeding or driving recklessly.
