UAE accident death toll rises to 315 in 2017

The General Directorate of Traffic Coordination of the Ministry of Interior on Sunday revealed that deaths caused by traffic accidents have reached 315 in the first half of 2017, compared to 386 deaths in the same period of 2016.

Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director General, Traffic Coordination General Directorate at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said the decrease in traffic accidents, deaths and injuries have a lot to do with the efforts and ongoing initiatives by the UAE leadership, the Ministry of Interior and the Police, who are raising awareness about traffic safety, reports Khaleej Times.

Brigadier Al Zaabi said the cause of traffic accidents in the UAE are closely linked to the increasing population, as well as the increasing number of residents obtaining driving licenses.

However, although the number of drivers is increasing, statistics have revealed accidents are decreasing.

Traffic statistics

• Accidents caused by impact and collision reached 1,389 in the first half of 2017
• Accidents caused by dangerous driving reached 209 this year
• Accidents caused by run-overs reached 516 this year
• 318 accidents were caused by not leaving safe distance
• 317 accidents caused by incorrect estimation of distance
• 239 for driving without paying attention
• 144 accidents caused by entering the road without checking it is clear
• 142 accidents were caused by not checking the blindspot and sudden swerving
• 18 people were killed for not paying attention to their lanes
• 12 deaths caused by driving on the opposite direction
• 13 deaths were caused by entering the road before checking if it is clear
• 11 people were killed and were driving without a license
• 38 were killed on the road for other reasons
• Negligence and lack of attention caused the death of 30 people
• Accidents caused by other factors, including passing the red light and not giving priority to pedestrians reached 465 this year

Brigadier Al Zaabi said that the sudden swerving comes at the forefront, reaching a whopping number of 406 and that it also led to the highest numbers in road deaths, killing 63 people in the first half of this year. 

The Director General of Traffic Coordination at the Ministry of the Interior also insisted that motorists take care while driving to avoid death and injury.