More than 90 Dubai drivers jump red lights every day

Drivers running red lights caused the death of four people and injured 64 others from January to June this year

Dubai Police caught 16,892 vehicles jumping the red light in the first six months of this year. Chris Whiteoak / The National

More than 90 cars jumped red lights every day in the first six months of 2022, Dubai Police data shows.

The force said radars caught 16,892 vehicles, which equates to nearly 94 every day from January to June.

It resulted in 50 collisions, causing the death of four people and injuring 64 others, said Col Jumaa bin Suwaidan, deputy director of the Traffic Department.

Police said offenders received 12 black points and a Dh1,000 fine.

Their vehicles were confiscated for a month and they had to pay a Dh3,000 release fee.

“We want to highlight the dangers of jumping red lights, it can lead to dangerous accidents,” Col bin Suwaidan said.

He urged motorists to follow the rules and slow down as they approach traffic lights and avoid going when they change from green to amber.

The police did not say if the dead and injured were pedestrians, cyclists or people in vehicles.

'It was wrong and dangerous'

A woman said she could have been in a fatal accident last week.

Shiraz Abdullah, 41, from Jordan, said she jumped the red light as she feared the car behind her was too close and would have rammed into her.

“I was driving near the Al Kabayel department store in Muraqqabat. I jumped the red light because I was intimidated by the driver behind me,” she told The National.

She said she regretted it and realised how dangerous it could be.

“It was wrong and dangerous. There is no excuse to justify endangering our lives and anyone else's,” she said.

Ms Abdullah said her car was impounded and she received a fine.

“I don't grudge about paying the amount, it is for our safety. We should follow the rules, irrespective of the fine,” she said.

Another woman, who spoke to The National anonymously, told how a vehicle rammed into hers in March.

She said the accident happened near the Dubai Expo area. Her car was badly damaged and she sustained head, leg and arm injuries.

“It was horrific, all I could think of back then was my only daughter,” said the woman, 49, from Jordan.

“This disregard of people’s lives just because someone wants to rush through the traffic light is not only madness but selfishness too.”

The mother of one needed more than a month to recover from her injuries.

“I didn’t know what exactly happened to the other driver but I remember hearing the ambulance crew saying he was alive but badly injured,” she said.

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