A move to lower the enforced speed on the Abu-Dhabi-Dubai motorway from 160 kph to 140 kph will have a "huge impact" on road safety, traffic experts have said.
"I completely support this decision," said Mustafa el Wazani, senior engineering inspector at the National Transport Authority. "I see drivers that reach ridiculous speeds on the motorway and put others in great danger. Speed is the cause for most accidents and this action will definitely have a huge impact."
The move to cut the speed above which motorists are penalised was made this week after local studies examined international standards and analysed the impact of speed, according to Brigadier Hussain al Harethi, head of the Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Directorate.
___________
More
• 'The crashed cars loomed in front of me'
• One dead, dozens injured in 127-car Abu Dhabi pile-up
___________
All speed cameras will be adjusted later this month according to the new buffer and those who go even one kilometre per hour above the enforced speed limit will be penalised, he said.
Yaser Hawas, director of the roadway, transportation and traffic safety research centre at UAE University, commended the decision.
"Lowering the [enforcement] speed will definitely reduce the number of fatalities and injuries related to traffic accidents," he said. "It goes without saying."
While experts were optimistic about the impact the change would have on road users, some said it may catch drivers by surprise.
"While this will reduce the number of accidents, it will increase the number of [speeding] fines," Mr el Wazani said. "Many road users are used to driving at speeds of 160 on this motorway. It will take time for them to get used to the idea that the speed has been reduced."
A full media campaign will alert drivers before it is fully enforced later this month, Brig al Harethi said.
"We will release a series of messages in the media, as well as newspaper announcements to alert the community," he said.
The official speed limit for the majority of the Abu Dhabi-Dubai road is 120 kph.
However, the current buffer on most of the Abu Dhabi portion of the motorway allows drivers to reach a speed of 160 kph. The decision to reduce the enforcement speed reflects a series of efforts by the Abu Dhabi traffic police to promote road safety.
Last month, officials said new signs will be erected on all external roads, clearly identifying and alerting drivers to changes in the radar enforcement limit - 140 kph in some areas and 160 kph in others.
However, the new move to reduce the enforcement limit to 140 kph along the E11 motorway means that the buffer will be consistent along all parts of the motorway.
Figures shared by the Department of Transport (DoT) in January showed that reducing the enforcement speed from 160 kph to 140kph on motorways could reduce the crash risk by as much as 90 to 95 per cent.
The speed buffer reduction was a quick-fix recommendation made by the DoT during the conference as part of the department's Speed Management Action Plan, which aims to reduce the percentage of drivers who speed to 20 per cent, from as high as 80 per cent, in the next three years.
Meanwhile, Dubai recorded a 25.6 per cent drop in traffic accidents last year compared with 2009, which officials attributed to more rigorous enforcement of speed limits.
The emirate has introduced 32 fixed radar units and 39 mobile radar units since 2008. Dubai enforces a maximum enforced speed limit of 140 kph on its section of the E11 motorway.
mismail@thenational.ae
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.4-litre%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E470bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E637Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh375%2C900%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
