ABU DHABI // In the six years since The National launched its Road to Safety campaign progress has been made in reducing the death and injury tolls on the country's roads.
The deaths of three young Emirati girls and their nanny as they crossed an Abu Dhabi road in 2009 prompted the launch the campaign, which sought to bring about changes that protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Publicity campaigns, strict enforcement and improved traffic systems have helped cut the road deaths in Abu Dhabi by 18 per cent in the first eight months of the year compared to 2014.
Improved infrastructure, road design and safety standards, traffic control and incident response, and pedestrian management have also contributed to the decline.
There were 172 fatalities from January to August, compared with 2010 in the same period last year.
In the UAE, the number of road deaths fell by 4.9 per cent during the first 10 months of the year, compared to the same period last year.
Since the start of the year there have been 560 deaths compared to 589 last year. Injuries were down from 5,909 to 5,606 — a 5.1 per cent decrease. The total number of accidents fell by 3 per cent, from 4,058 to 3,935.
Despite significant strides in road safety in the UAE, much more needs to be done to cut the death toll on the roads.
In its 2015 World Health Organisation Global Status Report on Road Safety, which is based on UAE data from 2013, the organisation has suggested cutting back the speed limit to 50 kph in some built-up areas.
Other proposals in the report include mandatory laws on back seat passengers wearing seat belts and children of a certain age using car seats.
Road safety experts backed these suggestions, saying these laws must be enacted and enforced.
“As a society we care about our children but each time we put a child in a car without being properly restrained, we are neglecting their health and putting them at risk of serious injury,” said Simon Labbett, regional director for the Transport Research Laboratory, a UK consultancy.
rruiz@thenational.ae
Read more on the UAE’s developments in 2015 in:
› Municipality: Abu Dhabi address system on brink of completion
› Department of Transport: Abu Dhabi buses get automated fare collection system
