UAE’s Accident-Free Day: A Call to Action
Federal Traffic Council Urges Motorists to Pledge for Road Safety as New School Year Begins
UAE’s Accident-Free Day: A Call to Safer Driving Before School Resumes
With the new school year starting on Monday, summer holidays with school-aged children are coming to an end for many UAE families this weekend. This will increase bus traffic for parents going to school and cause frequent traffic jams.
With more young people heading off to school, now is a great time to promote safe driving. To support this, the Federal Traffic Council is encouraging drivers to sign an online pledge before Monday. The pledge commits them to obey the speed limit, not be distracted and keep a safe distance from other vehicles. Also, as part of Accident Free Day, participating drivers can remove four black points from their licences.
The initiative is part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to improve road safety. The National Summer Series highlighted a number of initiatives by Abu Dhabi Police and Adnac Delivery, including free summer car inspections and improvements in emergency trauma care. Despite many provisions of the 143 federal traffic laws listed on the Dubai Police website, accidents and deaths continue. The latest figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs show an 11 per cent increase in road accidents last year, with 352 deaths compared to 343 the previous year. Every life lost is a tragedy.
Accident Free Day aims to inculcate personal responsibility among drivers. By taking the pledge, drivers are actively involved in improving road safety and challenging their habits. Even experienced drivers can be complacent, and a designated day of voluntary participation helps address the risk of distracted driving and reckless behavior.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah police forces have acknowledged that many drivers are responsible, but more efforts are needed. Cash prizes and certificates are awarded to safe drivers, and Dubai’s 2012 “white point” system encourages good driving to avoid fines.
Ultimately, the goal is to make every day an accident-free day. Achieving this goal will be a significant achievement as the UAE continues to improve road safety by using advanced software to analyze accident data and address critical road areas. If at least one accident is prevented through this effort, it is considered a success.
