- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 05:26 06:44 12:11 15:09 17:32 18:50
Dhahi Khalfan Tamim inspects a police patrol vehicle sporting the 'Speed Kills' traffic campaign poster. (SUPPLIED)
Getting tough on reckless driving, Dubai Police on Monday launched a safety campaign that warrants spot seizure of vehicles caught exceeding speed limits by 60 kmph.
Vehicles caught weaving through traffic, tailgating, or driving in any manner that is against the country’s road traffic rules will also be seized on the spot, it was warned as Dubai Police launched a two-month awareness campaign titled ‘Speed Kills’.
The campaign also aims at generating awareness to help reduce road fatalities to zero by 2020, in what would be better than the current figures in Scandinavian countries -- most of which see only 4 to 7 deaths for every 100,000 people.
Major General Saif al Zafein, head of the Traffic Department said patrolling has been intensified along Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Dubai Bypass Road and Dubai-Al Ain Road to nab violators. Police will use handheld radars to keep a check on speeding.
He said cars found doing more than 60 kmph of the speed limits on any road would be seized and towed away to the impound for 30 days. Violating drivers will be fined Dh1,000 and slapped with 12 black points on the licence.
The ‘Speed Kills’ campaign highlights the imperative need to maintain speed limits, especially since 70 per cent of all road accidents are caused by recklessly fast driving.
The latest figures show that road deaths declined to 134 during the first 10 months of 2010. The toll was 194 during the same period in 2009.
Over-speeding remains a concern as it claimed 34 lives this year, marginally lower than 39 during the first 10 months of last year.
Lt General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai Police Chief, said the “zero fatality” objective is driven by the fact that road deaths have been on the decline since 25 years. He said it is an achievable goal.
The fatality rate was 12.9 per 100,000 people last year, while it is expected to decline to 10 or 11 this year.
From 336 deaths in 2006, road fatalities declined to 312 in 2007, and 294 in 2008.
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