Statistics released by Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director-General of the Traffic Coordination General Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, have highlighted an 18.4 percent decrease in the number of fatalities from traffic accidents on a national level during the first half of the current year compared to the same period last year.

The number of fatalities that resulted from traffic accidents totalled 315 fatalities during the first half of 2017, compared to 386 fatalities in 2016, while the number of injuries that resulted from traffic accidents decreased by 12.5 percent in the first six months of the current year, compared to last year.

The statistics also showed a decrease in the total number of traffic accidents that occurred during the first half of the current year to 2,133 traffic accidents, compared to 2,520 traffic accidents in the same period of 2016.

Brigadier Al Zaabi attributed the decrease in traffic accidents and their resulting fatalities to the effectiveness of the Ministry of Interior’s policies and the efforts of the general police commands, the traffic directorates and departments, and the national traffic patrols in the country to improve traffic safety.

He explained that all types of accidents that took place during the first six months of the current year registered a noticeable decrease compared to the same period in 2016. The number of accidents involving collisions decreased by 15.9 percent, totalling 1,389 accidents compared to 1,651 during the same period in 2016, he added.

The number of serious accidents also decreased by 23.2 percent to 209, compared to 272 in 2016, while the number of accidents involving collisions with pedestrians decreased by 11.8 percent to 516 accidents, down from 585 in the same period of 2016, due to the success of national prevention campaigns.

Al Zaabi added that sudden lane shifts are the main causes of traffic accidents, causing 406 accidents in the first six months of the current year. It was also the leading cause of fatalities during the same period, causing the deaths of 63 people.

He called on drivers and other road users to follow traffic rules and regulations, to avoid traffic accidents involving themselves and others, as well as injuries, deaths and material losses, and to preserve the safety of themselves and other passengers and pedestrians.

Source: Wam