58 per cent drop in Abu Dhabi road deaths involving lorries

Road deaths involving lorries in Abu Dhabi have dropped by 58 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared to last year.

There were  31 deaths last year compared to 13 this year, police said.

It was a similar story with accidents involving lorries too, which dropped by 54 per cent during the same time frame, from 118 to 54.

Severe injuries also dropped, by 63 per cent from 16 to 6.

Brigadier Salim Abdullah bin Barak Al Dhaheri, director of the Traffic Department for External Roads at Abu Dhabi Police’s Traffic Directorate, said that the statistics reflect the positive results of awareness campaigns and pointed to police’s ongoing efforts to achieve high levels of road safety.

The strict speed limits being enforced and the banning of lorries being driven during times of low visibility due to weather, he said, had contributed to the reduced figures.

He called on drivers of lorries and heavy vehicles to abide by the traffic law, speed limits and legal cargo weights, urging them to refrain from overtaking, to check their tyres and not to use them beyond their expiration date.

Read more: Speed limit reduced on Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road in Dubai