Two-thirds of people killed in Abu Dhabi car accidents weren't wearing seat belts

Police say some drivers and passengers stubbornly ignoring basic safety rules

Shot of a father putting his son in a car seat, he is leaning over fastening the belt. (Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***  na01de-letters-seatbelt.jpg
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Sixty per cent of people who died in traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi this year were not wearing a seat belt, police said on Sunday.

A further 54 per cent who were injured were also not buckled up, according to figures covering the first nine months of this year.

Brigadier General Ahmad Al Shehi, deputy director of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate, urged drivers and families not to ignore the mandatory seat belt law, which came into effect on July 1 and stipulated that both drivers and passengers must be buckled up. Previously the law did not extend to back seat passengers.

“It has been proven that seat belts provide safety to everyone in the vehicle and to other motorists, because seats belts spread the force of impact over larger parts of the body, reducing severity of injuries," he said.

"Driving without being buckled up is considered a great danger."

Separate nationwide figures covering the first half of this year, released in July, showed a significant drop in the number of road deaths, from 386 to 315 deaths.

Brig Gen Al Shehi said that 39,956 motorists in Abu Dhabi were fined between January and the end of September.

"Despite numerous campaigns and the fact that people are fully aware of the importance of wearing a seat belt, there are some drivers and passengers who don't buckle up," added Lieutenant Colonel Muhsen Al Mansouri, deputy director of the Al Ain Traffic Department.
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