Dubai courts recorded a 29 per cent decline in the number of cases involving road traffic fatalities last year, a senior official said. Figures from Dubai Traffic Prosecution show the number of traffic death cases dropped from 82 in 2019 to 58 last year. "Dubai traffic prosecution dealt with 7,287 different traffic cases last year, including 58 that involved road deaths, compared with 12,385 the year before, with 82 of them involving traffic deaths," said Salah Al Falasi, the head of Dubai Traffic Prosecution. Last year 670 drink-driving cases were handled by Dubai Traffic Court – a 38 per cent decline in the number of motorists (1,080) prosecuted the year before. “Another 94 cases against motorists who were caught driving under the influence of drugs were also dealt with,” he said. In 2019, 108 drivers were found to be driving under the influence of drugs. Blood money compensation, paid to the family of the victim in cases where a driver is at fault in a fatal accident, reached more than Dh20 million in 2020. "Dh21 million in blood money was collected from drivers, against whom final rulings were issued in cases of causing wrongful deaths in road accidents," said Mr Al Falasi. “We will not tolerate drivers flouting traffic laws and we will seek the toughest punishment against those who do” The number of drivers facing charges of endangering the lives of other road users also fell from 53 in 2019 to 38 last year – a 28 per cent drop. Cases involving motorists charged with causing crashes that resulted in serious injuries declined 66 per cent, from 50 in 2019 to 17 last year. Dubai introduced a smart system in 2020 connecting police stations with the traffic prosecution, which allows prosecutors to investigate crash scenes faster. “Not only does it reduce the time it takes to have a crash scene investigated, but this system also helps clear a crash scene faster and prevent traffic congestion," said Mr Al Falasi. “All procedures and correspondence needed as part of a traffic crash investigation can be done through this smart application.” More smart projects are expected to be launched this year. “One of the projects will grant insurance companies access to the outcomes of traffic cases," he said. "This way they will no longer need to submit requests or visit the service centre to find out the outcomes of a traffic case they may be part of."
