SHARJAH // More than 23,000 cases of jumping red lights were registered in the emirate last year, prompting traffic police to launch an awareness campaign.
Since last month, police have been distributing brochures to drivers to raise awareness of the dangers and fines associated with red-light jumping after Sharjah registered 23,214 violations in 2015.
Captain Jamal Bu Afra, from Sharjah Traffic and Patrol Department, said it is one of the most dangerous practices on the roads, as it can lead to deaths and severe injuries.
Motorists face an Dh800 fine, eight black points and having their car impounded for 15 days, in addition to a potential fine for speeding.
This month, 57 new radars are being installed at main intersections in Sharjah, and the devices are equipped to catch red-light jumpers and record vehicle speed. Thirty-five of them area already in operation, Sharjah Police said.
“With the new radars, motorists jumping red lights will be also fined for over-speeding if the motorists jumped the red light if they were driving above the road speed limit,” Cap Bu Afra said.
Traffic police also recorded 155,440 cases of motorists zig-zagging across lanes last year, while red-light offences were slightly down from 2014, when there were 26,619 offenders.
Lieutenant Saud Al Shaiba, from the traffic awareness and media section of Sharjah Police, said the campaign, Beware of jumping red light, is to educate drivers about the dangers of such violations. “It will focus on raising awareness among motorists and Sharjah traffic police will distribute 20,000 brochures in English and Arabic,” he said.
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