Fatalities falling on our roads

Road deaths in the UAE are down by more than a fifth, new figures show.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Interior show that the number of accidents nationwide has dropped from 5,032 in the first half of 2009 to 3,581 since the start of 2010. Dubai saw the most collisions with 1,358 followed by Abu Dhabi at 1,211.

The total number of deaths across the UAE so far this year is 391, down from 495 in the same period last year.

The director general of traffic coordination at the ministry, Colonel Ghaith Al Za'abi, said although the number of accidents in Dubai remained high, it was down 25 per cent on last year. He said the UAE-wide improvement in road safety was due to an "aggressive" crackdown on traffic violations.

The new figures come just days after two Emirati drivers were fined just dhs1,000 for driving on two wheels and pulling handbrake turns in the middle of Sheikh Zayed Road. And road safety campaigner Shanz Zenith, whose sister was killed in a crash in Ras Al Khaimah, said that no family should have to suffer such a loss. He said: "Dubai has the aim of eliminating road deaths by 2020, which is great and we hope to play a role in that. We need hard-hitting campaigns across the UAE that give drivers a dose of reality."

nichola.jones@7days.ae