The Traffic and Patrols Directorate in Abu Dhabi Police intensified its awareness programs to ensure traffic safety in residential areas in Abu Dhabi. It also focused on monitoring traffic through e-monitoring equipment (Radars), traffic patrols, and traffic investigations in order to prevent over speeding in residential areas by some drivers.
Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrol Directorate noted the gravity of over speeding in residential areas due to the existence of pedestrians and children in those areas which might lead to grave accidents.
He said: “traffic accidents that happened on roads in residential areas in the past 5 months resulted in the death of 23 people, and in causing serious injuries to another 29 people. Those accidents ranged from run over, to hitting, and drifting away off the road.”
He stressed the importance of strictly enforcing law on drivers who perform dangerous drifts with their vehicles in residential areas, which ultimately reflects negatively on the occurrence of traffic accidents due to losing control over vehicles. He noted that the traffic police will intensify monitoring drivers who exceed speed limits on internal roads inside residential areas which is limited at 30 kmph, and on service roads at 20 kmph.
He mentioned that radars in one colony detected a vehicle driven by a young man at the speed of 194 kmph, exceeding the speed limit of 60 kmph, the vehicle was confiscated and the driver was referred to prosecution for required legal actions.
Al Harithi added: “these efforts are accompanied by awareness programs with the participation of traffic education patrols in residential area aiming to raise awareness among families about the risks of allowing their children especially the ones who haven’t obtained driving licenses yet, to drive during summer holidays in residential areas and perform risky drifts with vehicles.
He said: “awareness messages will be broadcasted through radio stations including: FM, Emarat FM, Astar FM, Holy Quran Station, and Sharjah Station. In addition awareness will be spread through emails, and through Abu Dhabi Police website. The program will be covered by Together (Ma’an) program on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, aiming to reduce traffic accidents. The awareness programs will target all society members.”
Al Hariti continued that: “awareness raising will comprise of special programmes that target students at schools with the cooperation of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), and will include awareness lectures for students in line with the Our Sumer is Special program in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbiyah throughout 15 summer centers that will focus on the risks of reckless driving, and driving without licenses.”
He noted that awareness includes encouraging families to promote traffic safety and adherence to laws, through the participation and keenness of all families shown through good behavior, honest commitment, and sincere adherence with our traffic laws and systems, in order to preserve our lives and safety. This is also achieved through recognizing the Best Traffic Family to promote traffic safety.
He explained that the Best Traffic Family initiative launched by the Directorate in line with Abu Dhabi Traffic endeavor to reduce accidents is considered to be one of the creative initiatives that focus on broadening traffic awareness from the immediate circle of the individual to the wider circle of the family. He asserted that this program will promote competition between family embers because each member will try to maintain a traffic violations free record.