Just under half of all road accident deaths are related to speeding, Dubai Police said.
Of the 525 deaths in road accidents recorded in the UAE, up to December 23 this year, 230 occurred as a result of speeding.
The statistics were revealed as a three-month nationwide campaign, to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding, was launched on Thursday.
The Ministry of Interior said the total number of deaths had decreased when compared to the 706 deaths, of which 312 were linked to speeding, recorded in 2016.
The new campaign, “Don’t let speeding turn you into a killer”, will begin on January 1, 2018 under the patronage of Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
“Most road fatalities and major accidents are a result of speeding, which counts for 40 per cent of the total number of traffic accidents. A total of 230 people were killed on the country’s roads due to over speeding this year,” said Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen, head of the Federal National Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police.
“Speeding by itself may not be the only reason behind accidents, but it will cause major accidents when it’s accompanied with other reasons, such as failure to maintain a safe distance and tyre blowouts,” said Maj Gen Al Zafeen.
“We find it is important to launch the three-month anti-speeding campaign to remind drivers that speeding does kill and may make the driver, a killer,” said Maj Gen Al Zafeen.
He revealed that in 2017, authorities issued: 5,395 fines for exceeding the speed limit by more than 80kph; 56,633 fines for exceeding the speed limit by more than 70kph; and 100,296 fines for exceeding the speed limit by more than 60kph.
By contrast, in 2016 a total of 92,592 fines were issued for exceeding the speed limit by more than 70kph and 129,699 fines were issued for exceeding the speed limit by more than 60kph. However, no speeding fines were recorded for exceeding the speeding limit by more than 80kph in 2016, said the Ministry of Interior.
The fact that over 5,000 fines were issued for exceeding the speed limit by 80kph, “indicates that there is a huge problem that needs to be tackled,” said Maj Gen Al Zafeen.
He said police stations were given the authority to come up with the best methods to approach the public and raise awareness about breaking the speed limit.
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Read more:
[ Teenager dead after crash on Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road ]
[ Speeding violations up 250 per cent after limit cut on two major Dubai roads ]
National Editorial: Reckless drivers should be exposed and dealt with
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“Road fatality indicators have decreased (in recent) years. We planned to reach 5 road deaths per 100,000 people and we have reached 4.4 road deaths per 100,000 people,” said Maj Gen Al Zafeen.
Several initiatives, new rules and traffic awareness campaigns have been rolled out by Dubai police and the Ministry of Interior to reduce road fatalities. Among them is reducing the speed limit to 110kph on two major roads in Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road speed limits were reduced to 110kph after in-depth traffic surveys and studies. Both highways were found to be carrying large volumes of traffic and were hotspots for accidents and collisions.
The move came into force from October 15, 2017.
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1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
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5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
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SPECS
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Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Sarfira
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Rating: 2/5
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
UAE medallists at Asian Games 2023
Gold
Magomedomar Magomedomarov – Judo – Men’s +100kg
Khaled Al Shehi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Faisal Al Ketbi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Asma Al Hosani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -52kg
Shamma Al Kalbani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -63kg
Silver
Omar Al Marzooqi – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Bishrelt Khorloodoi – Judo – Women’s -52kg
Khalid Al Blooshi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Mohamed Al Suwaidi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -69kg
Balqees Abdulla – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -48kg
Bronze
Hawraa Alajmi – Karate – Women’s kumite -50kg
Ahmed Al Mansoori – Cycling – Men’s omnium
Abdullah Al Marri – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Team UAE – Equestrian – Team showjumping
Dzhafar Kostoev – Judo – Men’s -100kg
Narmandakh Bayanmunkh – Judo – Men’s -66kg
Grigorian Aram – Judo – Men’s -90kg
Mahdi Al Awlaqi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -77kg
Saeed Al Kubaisi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Shamsa Al Ameri – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -57kg
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
The UAE's journey to space
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
