Dubai: A motorist was killed in a traffic accident in Dubai on Saturday morning after his vehicle collided into a stationary pick-up truck.
According to Dubai Police reports, the tragic incident occurred at 9.37am, January 14, 2017, in the area of Ras Al Khor.
Brigadier Saeed Hamad Bin Sulaiman, director of Al Rashidiya Police Station, said the accident was caused due to speeding and failing to pay attention on the roads.
“The victim was speeding in his BMW and was not paying attention while driving. He was driving very quickly and did not have enough time to avoid the pick-up track that was parked on the far-left side of Ras Al Khor Road,” said Brig Bin Sulaiman.
The Asian pick-up driver was unharmed in the accident.
According to police reports, an ambulance and a patrol team were immediately dispatched but the victim had sustained serious injuries as a result of the impact, and died at the scene of the accident.
Tackling the problem of speeding has been a priority for authorities, with police launching awareness campaigns in a bid to convince reckless drivers to stop searching for thrills on wheels.
According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global status report on road safety 2015, the UAE witnessed 10.9 road deaths per 100,000 population.
Among the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia topped the list at 27.4.
The death rates for other GCC countries were: Oman (25.4), Kuwait (18.7). Qatar (15.2), and Bahrain (8.0).
A transportation expert stressed that speeding is a major cause of fatal road accidents in the UAE.
“Despite widespread awareness of the UAE’s driving rules, far too many motorists seem to be consciously ignoring the dangers of speeding. We need to address the root-causes for speeding," said Thomas Edelmann, Founder of RoadSafetyUAE.com.
He added that in curbing road-related deaths, education is key.
In 2016, the Ministry of Interior revealed that the number one cause for road-related accidents and deaths is swerving, followed by poor decisions made by drivers, and not keeping enough distance between cars.
