Sharjah: The statistics compiled by Sharjah Police from cases recorded in the first six months of this year reveal hundreds of motorists had little or no regard for public safety as they sped dangerously through heavy traffic putting lives of other motorists in jeopardy.
A total of 300 motorists were caught driving in excess of 200km/h during this period, officials said.
Reckless driving by motorists leads to vehicle seizures in which cars are impounded by authorities for up to 60 days.
The highest speed recorded in Sharjah was by a vehicle clocking a mind-bending 258km/h on Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road towards Fujairah.
Going at such high speed attracts 23 black points on the driver’s licence, Dh3,000 fine and the impoundment of the vehicle for 60 days.
Despite the warnings about the dangers of speeding, drivers repeat the violation causing loss of lives, police said.
“The traffic control cameras, which are installed across Sharjah roads, operate with state-of-the-art technology and high efficiency. Any motorist who is caught driving above the speed limit of 80km/h will be fined Dh3,000 and given 23 black points and their vehicles impounded for a period of 60 days,” Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammad Alai Al Naqbi, director of the Traffic and Patrol Department, told Gulf News.
Advanced cameras have been installed at traffic intersections, highways and interior roads to catch motorists who are speeding and jumping red lights.
He called on motorists to improve their behaviour on the road.
Police have doubled their efforts to reduce accidents by launching safety campaigns this year, Lt-Col Al Naqbi said, and urged families to monitor their children and their behaviour on roads and advise them that driving cars at such a high speed can kill.
The first six months of this year also saw the number of traffic accidents dropping by 40 per cent as compared to the same period last year.
During this period, police launched seven traffic awareness campaigns and 144,766 persons benefited from them. Police also launched 11 confiscation campaigns.
As many as 186 events were organised to promote traffic safety in the emirate which helped bring down the number of accidents including collision and overturning to 277 from 461 in the same period last year.
Sharjah Police are focusing on reducing accidents, fatalities and injuries and not on fining motorists, said Lt-Col Al Naqbi.
The main factors that helped reduce traffic accidents included the installation of 30 smart radars mainly on roads that witness a high rate of accidents; regular deployment of traffic patrols on highways; the traffic campaigns organised to control roads and reckless driving; blocking of unauthorised pedestrian crossings; and the opening of 10 safe pedestrian paths, tunnels and footbridges, in addition to circulating 285 informative materials via print, visual and audio media, besides social media platforms. Three pedestrian bridges are currently under construction.
In numbers
■ 40% decline in traffic accidents
■ 300 cases of speeding over 200m/h recorded
■ 258km/h the highest speed recorded at Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed towards Fujairah
