ABU DHABI // Motorists have been warned that they run the risk of a Dh500 fine if they stop their vehicles in the middle of a pedestrian crossing.
Last week, the Abu Dhabi safety and traffic solutions committee launched a pedestrian safety awareness campaign through newspaper advertisements and social media. One of its messages is that stopping on a crossing endangers lives.
There were 63 traffic-related deaths in the first three months of this year. Of those, 33 were motorists who died in collisions and eight when their cars rolled over, but 22 were pedestrians.
Most of the deaths were caused by drivers not giving priority to pedestrians crossing roads, sudden swerving, speeding in difficult road conditions, burst tyres and tailgating, said Brig Gen Hussain Al Harithi, director of the Traffic and Patrol Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police.
“Motorists try to cross a junction at all cost, increasing their speed when traffic lights turn from green to yellow,” said Thomas Edelmann, founder of the Road Safety UAE website. “When the lights turn red before they can make their move, they just stop and could not care less if they block pedestrians or other road users on the zebra crossings.”
Afsal Abdulsalam, 40, a sales executive in the capital, said this was a common sight in Abu Dhabi.
“I see vehicles – taxis and private vehicles – stop on the crossings every day,” he said.
“It’s very dangerous and can lead to many accidents.”
Most of the reckless driving on the UAE's roads is linked to inconsiderate behaviour by motorists, Mr Edelmann said. "We simply do not care for each other," he said. "Our driving culture is 'me'-orientated and extremely egoistic."
T Prabu, 37, an administrative officer at Al Wathba National Insurance, agreed.
“People are always in a hurry. They speed up when the yellow light starts to flash but abruptly hit the brakes and stay on the zebra crossings,” he said.
"We should always follow the rules and give pedestrians priority. We should also not stop in yellow-box junctions and make sure our exits are clear before we enter."
Research in Greece, Brazil and other countries has found that carelessness, ignorance and disregard for others, especially pedestrians, were the main reasons for drivers stopping in the middle of zebra crossings, said Salaheddine Bendak, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah.
“Interestingly, some drivers think that by doing this, they can save time, which is obviously wrong and baseless,” he said.
“Advertisements showing why this practice is wrong and better enforcement are essential.”
In the UK, more and more drivers are seen stopping past the line, said Peter Wilson, the Westminster Council commissioning officer responsible for road-safety education.
“Sometimes it is not speed-related but lazy driving, where they will encroach over the line by the length of the bonnet,” he said.
Strict enforcement, fines, and penalties, coupled with permanent and wide distribution of educational messages about proper conduct on the roads are needed to tackle reckless driving at crossings, Mr Edelmann said.
“We must change our driving culture to a caring one,” he said. “Motorists tend to forget that once they step out of their vehicles, they are also pedestrians.”
rruiz@thenational.ae