ABU DHABI // The UAE is making progress in making its roads safer for pedestrians, but road users should remain vigilant about their safety.
Last year, pedestrian deaths in the UAE declined 9 per cent to 1,209 from 1,328 in 2011, said the Ministry of Interior.
Abdullilah Zineddin, a road-safety specialist in Abu Dhabi, said pedestrian fatalities in the UAE and in the GCC accounted for almost one third of roadway-related deaths.
“This number is significantly higher than modernised countries around the world so it is vital that UAE authorities focus their attention on this problem,” he said.
In the capital, the number of fatalities from traffic accidents fell to 16 last year from 34 in 2012, said Abu Dhabi Police.
Pedestrian fatalities in the emirate fell 31 per cent from 2012, and there was a 3 per cent decline in traffic accidents per 100,000 people.
Fatalities resulting from road users jumping red lights dropped to six last year from 13 in 2012, and the number of fatalities resulting from speeding fell to 14 from 25.
Serious injuries also declined, from 65 cases to 55.
Ibrahim Al Hmoudi, a transport planning department manager at Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, said pedestrian deaths accounted for 29 per cent of all road fatalities in Abu Dhabi. He did not specify the time period.
Of that figure, 22 per cent occurred in the centre of the capital.
Driver behaviour and road design (a cause of 20 per cent of accidents) were major contributing factors to road accidents, Mr Al Hmoudi said.
Mr Zineddin said drivers and pedestrians needed to be vigilant about one another.
“However, it is vital that drivers fully comprehend the fact that they have more responsibility under the law when operating a motor vehicle on city streets,” he said. “Pedestrians should also understand that they have more at stake.”
In Dubai, fatal traffic accidents involving pedestrians were the second biggest cause of deaths in the emirate, with 40 fatalities and 361 people injured over an 11-month period, according to Dubai Police statistics released in January.
In Sharjah, 37 children were killed last year after being run over by cars. In most of the cases, they were accidentally run over by their parents or relatives, police said.
There were 223 fatal road accidents in the emirate last year.
“Almost no one survives if they are hit at a speed of 80kph,” Mr Zineddin said. “Drivers need to slow down and follow speed-limit laws, especially when they are driving around neighbourhoods that are full of children playing outside.”
Several measures to improve the safety of road users and pedestrians have been implemented by Abu Dhabi Municipality.
Electronic signs near pedestrian tunnels were installed on Hamdan Street last month. They are intended to draw the attention of pedestrians, especially visitors, to safe crossing points in underpasses.
“The electronic signs or any visible methods that would encourage pedestrians to use safe paths to cross are highly encouraged,” Mr Zineddin said.
The Urban Planning Council's Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual prioritises pedestrians and cyclists, who are considered the most vulnerable users of urban streets.
The council aims to reduce vehicle speed by narrowing the width of road lanes, reducing the size of right-turn lanes and introducing traffic-calming features such as raised junctions, raised pedestrian crossings and speed tables.
“What is needed is to impose tougher punishment on reckless drivers,” said Iftekhar Ahmed, a Bangladeshi-born Canadian electrical engineer, who launched an awareness project on pedestrian safety last year.
“For jaywalkers, it is essential to find out the root cause of their errant behaviour. It may be due to the unavailability of pedestrian crossings, underpasses or footbridges in the area.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
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First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
