Dubai road deaths drop by 42 per cent in first nine months of the year

The overall number of accidents was reduced by 46 per cent in the same period

Rush hour traffic in Dubai could be permanently reduced due to the pandemic. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The number of road deaths in Dubai dropped by 42 per cent in the first nine months of the year, police said.

Seventy-six people were killed in road accidents from January to the end of September, down from 132 in the corresponding period last year.

The overall amount of crashes fell by 46 per cent year-on-year.

“September saw only one road death recorded across Dubai,” said Lt Col Abdullah bin Ghalib, head of the traffic accidents department at Dubai Police.

The figures were disclosed during an annual inspection of Dubai Police’s General Directorate of Traffic, carried out by Lt Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police.

Stay-home measures in place in April to combat Covid-19 - which restricted movement in the emirate - are likely to have played a part in the reduction in accidents and deaths.

But police said a series of awareness campaigns are driving home the message about staying safe behind the wheel.

“During the past nine months we launched six awareness campaigns about pedestrians safety, free-accidents Ramadan, sudden swerving dangers, safety distance, summer without accidents, and back to school,” said Lt Col bin Ghalib

Police said 262,940 traffic fines were issued during the nine-month period, for offences such as dangerous driving, having poor quality tyres and sudden swerving.

Speeding, tailgating and poor judgement were cited as among the key factors behind accidents on the emirate's roads.