Police in Dubai have launched a safety drive after revealing reckless lorry drivers caused more than two dozen road deaths in the past two years.
Lectures and workshops for those behind the wheel of heavy goods vehicles will be held in the emirate in a bid to cut out fatal mistakes.
Police said lorry drivers were responsible for crashes that led to 26 deaths and another 137 injuries in 2018 and 2019.
Colonel Jumma bin Swaidan, deputy head of Dubai Police’s traffic department, said 18,203 fines were dished out to lorry drivers flouting rules last year alone.
“The main causes behind these accidents were sudden swerving, changing lanes and stopping on a road’s hard shoulder,” he said.
The figures were released during the launch of a safety campaign targeting lorry drivers on Tuesday.
“I urge all lorry drivers to benefit from this campaign and its programmes, which will help raise their awareness and subsequently contribute to decreasing the number of accidents,” he said.
The one-week initiative, launched in a lorry rest area in Al Aweer, is being organised in partnership with authorities including Dubai Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Municipality.
