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Death on the roads

June 16, 2009 1:44 by Aarti Nagraj

Earlier this month, the increasing number of road accidents also prompted the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi (HAAD) to launch a campaign against reckless driving.

The “Drive Safe, Save Lives” campaign started with a series of TV, radio and newspaper promotions, and has professional car rally champion Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi as its main ambassador.

According to HAAD statistics, 430 people died of road accident injuries in Abu Dhabi last year, with road accident accounting for 15 percent of all deaths in the emirate. Speeding, not wearing seat belts and not using child safety restraints are the main reasons behind the accidents, says HAAD.

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) also launched the “Haseb Safety Campaign” earlier this year, to spread awareness on complying with safety regulations, particularly traffic and safe driving rules. The objective of the campaign is to minimize accidents on main roads by 40 percent by 2015.

“Over speeding is responsible for about 80 percent of traffic accidents and claims hundreds of lives every year. Statistics reveal that the number of casualties is continuously on the rise as over speeding in 2008 resulted in 375 casualties ranging from death to body injury and various losses,” said Hussain Al Banna, director of Traffic at RTA Traffic and Roads Agency.

According to the law, if you exceed the speed limit by 60 km/h, you will get an AED1,000 fine, 12 traffic black points and your vehicle will be impounded for 30 days. Race-driving on public roads attracts an AED 2,000 fine, 12 traffic points, and your vehicle will be impounded for 30 days.

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Tags: Abu Dhabi, accidents, campaigns, dangerous, Driving, Dubai, road safety, speeding, UAE, WHO