ABU DHABI // More than 5,000 pedestrians were stopped by traffic officers for jaywalking and crossing the road at unmarked places in the first month of a safety campaign, police said yesterday. In the opening three days of the three-month campaign, which began on June 21, more than 655 people were each fined Dh200 (US$54). Up to July 9, officers had issued 757 fines, WAM, the state news agency, reported.
Col Hamad Adeel al Shamsi, the director of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic and patrols department, said that over the month 5,103 pedestrians were "booked over crossing roads from the wrong sites". According to police statistics, 26 pedestrians were killed crossing the capital's roads in the first 71 days of the year. The first month of the campaign, which coincides with a similar initiative being run by the GCC, also saw 802 vehicle owners fined for using worn and dangerous tyres.
More than 7,332 faulty tyres were recorded. Vehicles that do not meet tyre safety standards can be confiscated for a week. Owners face fines of Dh200 for small vehicles and Dh500 for heavy vehicles, in addition to six black points. Accidents caused by tyre blowouts resulted in four deaths and seven serious injuries during the first half of this year, according to police. Col al Shamsi urged motorists to use legal tyres to help reduce accidents and warned that patrols would continue to arrest offenders.
He also said the opening of the campaign saw 105 heavy-duty and 87 light vehicles seized because they were overloaded. sbhattacharya@thenational.ae
