According to the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics, the population of the UAE committed 12 million and 133 thousand and 655 traffic violations during the past year, and the state witnessed 3712 traffic accidents resulting in 468 deaths and 5130 injuries.
According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi came first in the number of traffic violations, registering 5,671,103 violations, or 46.7% of the UAE violations. Second place registered three million and 407 thousand and 741 violations by 28.1%, and Sharjah ranked third with one million and 591 thousand and 713 violations by 13.1%.
According to the report, Ajman ranked fourth with 579,913 violations, 4.8%, Ras Al Khaimah fifth with 397,99, 3.3%, Fujairah with 258,125, 2.1%, and Umm Al Quwain, with 227,961, or 1.9%.
The report revealed that the number of traffic accidents recorded in the UAE last year, amounted to 3712, including 1469 in Abu Dhabi, 1214 in Dubai, 433 in Sharjah, 201 in Ras Al Khaimah, 177 in Ajman, 166 in Fujairah and 52 in Umm Al Quwain.
These incidents resulted in 5,130 injuries, including 2,162 casualties in Abu Dhabi, 1670 in Dubai, 506 in Sharjah, 265 in Ras Al Khaimah, 257 in Fujairah, 212 in Ajman and 58 in Umm Al Quwain.
According to the report, the number of deaths due to accidents reached 468, including 156 in Abu Dhabi, 141 in Dubai, 83 in Sharjah, 45 in Ras Al Khaimah, 18 in Umm Al Quwain, 17 in Ajman and eight in Fujairah.
It is noteworthy that statistics issued by the Ministry of Interior, recently, revealed a decrease in the number of traffic deaths in the country by 34.2% in five years, down from 712 deaths in 2014 to 468 in 2018.
The ministry confirmed that the UAE has succeeded in the past years in achieving the highest levels of global traffic safety, and reduce the proportion of accidents and deaths resulting from it, thus making progress towards the achievement of the national index set to reduce deaths to three per 100,000 population by 2021.
The road sector in the UAE has been continuously developing and has contributed to enhancing traffic safety and has resulted in being ranked first in the world in road quality in five consecutive years, from 2014 to 2018, according to the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Legislation, laws and traffic regulations in place in the country play an influential role in reducing accident rates, as various government departments join forces in raising awareness and implementing them, from the Federal Ministry of Interior to the Roads and Transport Authorities at the local level.
The provisions of the Federal Traffic Law, amended since July 1, 2017, provide deterrent penalties for drivers who violate the general rules, which relate to speeding and preoccupation with non-driving and adhere to the signs, and other mandatory laws.