Sudden swerving, failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles, speeding, tyre blowouts, neglect and inattention are the main reasons for accidents in Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National
Sudden swerving, failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles, speeding, tyre blowouts, neglect and inattention are the main reasons for accidents in Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National

Abu Dhabi’s 10 most dangerous roads: 26 deaths so far this year



ABU DHABI // Deaths on Abu Dhabi’s 10 most dangerous roads have dropped by more than 50 per cent so far this year compared with the same period in 2013.

So far 26 people have died on the 10 roads – 30 fewer than this time last year.

And Lt Col Ahmed Al Zayoudi, head of the crash section for the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Department, said the number of accidents on those roads had also fallen from 214 to 196 in the same period.

The 10 most dangerous roads in the emirate are:

- Abu Dhabi to Al Sila Road;

- Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashed Road;

- Abu Dhabi to Al Ain truck road;

- Sweihan Road;

- Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street;

- Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street;

- Ghayathi Road;

- Abu Dhabi International Airport Road;

- Abu Dhabi to Al Ain road

- Abu Dhabi-Dubai truck road.

Increased patrolling, installation of radars and signs that clearly specify the speed at which the radars are set all helped to reduce the number of accidents, Lt Al Zayoudi said.

He added that the accidents varied from collisions to turnovers.

Sudden swerving, failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles, speeding, tyre blowouts, neglect and inattention were the main reasons for the accidents.

Lt Al Zayoudi urged drivers to maintain vigilance and keep their eyes on the road when driving through fog and shifting sands when visibility is low.

“The main cause for concern is that drivers are not planning ahead,” said Khaled Al Mansoori, vice chief executive of Emirates Driving Company. “They are not thinking far ahead into their journey and often make split-second decisions where and when they are turning off major roads.”

There is a gap between what is taught at driving schools and real-life driving situations, said Salaheddine Bendak, an associate professor at the University of Sharjah.

“We can address this through stricter enforcement, publicity campaigns and driver education focusing on developing hazard perception skills,” he said.

“Many drivers are unable to properly judge the risks involved and are distracted by conversations with passengers and their mobile phones. They should focus on their driving, use their mirrors efficiently, perform a shoulder-check for blind spots, turn on the indicator before changing lanes and always leave enough distance between vehicles.”

newsdesk@thenational.ae

Five hymns the crowds can join in

Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday

Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir

Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium

‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song

‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar

‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion

‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope

The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’

There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia

The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ

They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening 

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Rating: 3/5

How it works

Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.

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As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.

A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.

Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.

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  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
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The White Lotus: Season three

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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.