Women cause only one in 10 accidents

Female motorists cause less than 10% of road accidents in Abu Dhabi according to new figures.

ABU DHABI // Women have caused less than 10 per cent of road accidents in the emirate - 209 in the first 10 months of the year, compared with 2,265 caused by men. Heavily tinted windows, speeding and using mobile phones while driving were the most common contributors to traffic accidents caused by women, police said yesterday. According to Lt Col Ahmad al Shehhi of the traffic department, factors common in accidents involving men and women included driving too close to other vehicles, speeding and lack of concentration. Women were less likely than men to be involved in major crashes caused by reckless driving, Lt Col Shehhi said.

Of the car crashes caused by women, 47 involved hitting the side of other vehicles, 25 hitting the back, 17 hitting the front, 13 hitting fixed objects on the road and eight hitting fixed objects off the road. In 24 accidents, vehicles slid off roads. In 40 accidents, pedestrians were run over. Not wearing seat belts and allowing young children to sit in front seats also contributed to injuries from accidents, police said.