RAK road deaths down 25%

Police attribute the decline to better education and zero-tolerance policy

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Road deaths in the emirate dropped by 25 per cent last year, traffic police said yesterday.

Police recorded 60 road deaths in 2010, the fewest in more than three years. They attribute the decline to greater public awareness and a zero-tolerance campaign against reckless drivers.

“Driving culture has improved,” said Lt Thaer al Najjar of the Traffic and Licensing Department. “We’ve been visiting schools and there’s more co-ordination between the driving academy, the police and the traffic department.”

The focus for 2011 remains on raising road safety awareness among young people through school campaigns. Police joined schoolchildren yesterday to hand out pamphlets on Khozam Road.

Drivers can expect tougher penalties and more patrols in 2011, Lt al Najjar said.

Police will instal an additional 80 speed cameras this year and say every street will monitored. Ten cameras were installed in 2010. There were only five stationary radar machines in October 2009.

Accidents involving drivers aged 18 to 30 declined by 23 per cent in 2010 compared with 2009.