Dubai: As many as 230 people have been killed in traffic accidents caused by speeding across the country till December 23 this year, compared to 312 in 2016, the Ministry of Interior said on Thursday.
The ministry said this as it announced the launch of the next unified campaign by police forces in the country to raise awareness on the dangers of exceeding speed limits.
The campaign will kick off on January 1, 2018 under the slogan ‘Don’t let speeding turn you into a killer’.
The ministry said the campaign will include holding awareness sessions in universities, sport clubs, and distributing flyers. The campaign will also hold exhibitions in shopping malls and other places.
According to the updated statistics, there has been a significant drop in the number of casualties this year with 527 deaths recorded in traffic accidents compared to 706 deaths in 2016.
Major-General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the Federal Traffic Council, said the three-month annual campaign, which began in 2010, aims to remind drivers that speeding is not worth costing their lives.
“Many traffic fatalities are a result of speeding,” Maj-Gen Al Zafein said.
As many as 1,535 traffic accidents happened because of speeding this year in the UAE compared to 1,787 accidents in 2016.
“We find it is important to run this campaign every year to remind people that speeding does kill and may make you, the driver, a killer.”
Despite the drop in road fatalities, police departments are working hard to reduce the number further, according to Maj-Gen Al Zafein.
The traffic index now stands at 4.4 road fatalities out of every 100,000 people.
The statistics showed that 7.7 million speeding tickets have been issued across the country this year compared to 8.6 million in 2016.
“The stats show there is a problem with speeding in the country,” Maj-Gen Al Zafein said.
Dubai Police alone issued 56,633 fines to motorists for driving 60km/h faster than the speed limit, a decrease from 92,592 fines in 2016.
In numbers
- 525 people lost their lives in road accidents in the UAE this year, compared to 706 in 2016
- 230 people died in accidents caused by speeding this year
- 7,7 million speeding tickets issued this year
- 56,633 fines issued by Dubai Police alone for driving 60km/h faster than the speed limit
