The Traffic and Patrols Directorate in the Abu Dhabi Police has temporarily withdrawn 100 driving licenses from truck drivers for three months, in addition to issuing penalties reaching AED 10,000. The truck drivers were fined due to reckless driving on the external roads, commonly known as truck roads, in Abu Dhabi during the last three weeks; penalizing these drivers is a part of a comprehensive campaign to put an end to traffic accidents that occur due to dangerous overtaking.
Colonel Hamad Nasser Al Baloushi, Director of External Roads Traffic Department at Abu Dhabi Police, stressed on the traffic accident risks due to overtaking trucks. He highlighted the number of accidents that took place on the truck road “Abu Dhabi – Al Ain – Dubai truck road” during the past eight months this year; accidents totaled 43 resulting in 12 deaths and seven severe injuries.
Colonel Al Baloushi said that Abu Dhabi Police is keen to reduce the heavy truck accidents on the truck road through its safety strategy.
“The directorate has implemented numerous procedures to provide traffic safety and avoid truck accidents by limiting the maximum speed on the external roads to 80 km/h and prohibiting trucks from using internal roads in case of low visibility due to fog or bad weather. The directorate also established a special truck route that does not allow trucks to enter Abu Dhabi City at peak times and bad weather conditions,” he said.
Additionally, Major Mohsen Al Menhali, Director of External Roads Section highlighted the intensified traffic control on the truck road limiting overtaking and other actions that could lead to accidents.
Al Menhali said that the law obliges truck drivers to obey load rules and ensure that the truck load is properly secure to prevent it falling on the road leading to traffic jams and serious accidents. Falling loads can also cause tire explosions and affect the road qualities.
Major Al Menhali reiterated that traffic safety is a joint responsibility; truck operators should participate by urging their drivers to obey traffic laws and in particular, avoid sudden lane changes that can lead to traffic jams due to accidents.