The high number of accidents involving pedestrians in Abu Dhabi points to the fact that pedestrian crossings are not safe for walkers. As The National reported yesterday, Rashid Al Neyadi, head of Abu Dhabi traffic prosecutions, said that one recent case involved a driver who hit a pedestrian and drove through three signals before she saw him hanging off the car’s bonnet. Another woman hit a mother and daughter at a zebra crossing, killing the daughter and leaving the mother with amnesia.
Motorists must bear the lion's share of responsibility, as one basic rule of driving is to be alert while on the roads. However, some cases also point to the fact that zebra crossings are not properly designed to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Many of the city's streets are wide, fast and have no signals. Pedestrians have to run to reach the other side of the road.
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Read more about the UAE traffic:
■ Make Abu Dhabi more pedestrian friendly
■ Pedestrian safety must be a priority
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To improve matters, every zebra crossing across the city could be better lit and signposted. Road users should also clearly understand the prevailing laws and the penalties for transgression. Abu Dhabi Police lists the punishment for drivers who do not give way to pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing as Dh500 and six black points. The penalty for pedestrians crossing roads at undesignated places is Dh200. The laws are clear, but too many road users choose to flout the regulations, in part because enforcement is spotty or weak.
To increase safety, the authorities might consider installing more pelican (Pedestrian Light Controlled Crossing) and puffin crossings, which can detect if pedestrians are waiting and make sure that traffic remains stopped until all pedestrians have safely crossed the road.
It’s also important that the authorities investigate accidents and identify the number of vulnerable road users, such as schoolchildren, and react accordingly. Only by doing so will traffic and safety conditions improve for all road users – pedestrians included.
