Abu Dhabi has recorded a sharp decline in the number of traffic accidents over the past five years which fell  by 30 per cent from 409 to 289 fatalities, said a report.

According to statistics recently released by the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, there has been a significant improvement in traffic safety in the emirate with serious injuries too fallling 25 per cent from 483 to 366.

The number of pedestrian fatalities also decreased by 60 per cent, from 118 to 48 fatalities; while the number of traffic accidents with injuries decreased by 33 per cent, from 3086 to 2071 accidents.

A drop in traffic accidents has been achieved despite a 45 per cent jump in the number of registered vehicles plying on the roads during the last five years which soared to 873,243 from 601,208 vehicles.

According to the data, the pile-up accidents that occurred last year, which include the mishap involving workers bus in Al Ain and the Hamim area in the Western Region, resulted in 29 deaths.

Brigadier Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, the director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police attributed this improvement to a number of factors, including the comprehensive traffic safety plan adopted in the emirate in areas of traffic control, awareness, education, and engineering; as well as implementing various methodologies and initiatives, speed management strategy in co-operation with partners, and the radar control system used to catch drivers who speed up to jump a red light in Abu Dhabi.

On the accidents, Brig Al Harithi pointed out that the sudden swerving of vehicles was the main causes of majority of road accidents last year followed by speeding and lack of attention while driving.

The other reasons were jumping of red lights; misjudgment of road users and failure to comply with lane rules and failure to leave sufficient safe distance between vehicles; and other reasons, he added.

He said a new comprehensive automated traffic control system was being developed to capture traffic law violators. "Locations will be selected and distributed across the road network in the emirate, using an advanced mechanism to determine the risk levels on roads every 5 km based on roads network’s geographic information system."

"The exact mechanisms and control systems required to achieve the highest levels of safety and to attain integration between different systems (fixed and mobile automated traffic control system and on site patrols) are then determined," he noted.

Brig Al Harithi also indicated that infrared speed cameras are being installed at intersections to catch drivers who speed up to jump a red light.

As part of the program, 150 light-controlled junctions will be fitted with surveillance cameras in Abu Dhabi, out of which, 50 are already installed, he added.-TradeArabia News Service