Call for 10kph cut in speed limits

The chief of Dubai traffic police has called for a 10kph reduction on speed limits across the emirate.

Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen made the call after Dubai Police figures showed almost two-thirds of the 1.2 million traffic offences in the first seven months of this year were caused by speeding.

Gen Al Zafeen said any plan to reduce the speed limit should be welcomed, after a similar initiative in Abu Dhabi, where the buffer on motorways was reduced to 20kph, resulted in fewer speeding offences.

"Lowering the buffer over speed limits will lead to fewer accidents," Gen Al Zafeen said, according to The National's Arabic-language sister paper, Al Ittihad.

He said there was a decrease in bus and taxi accidents in Dubai after the buffer over speed limits for them was lowered.

"Ninety per cent of traffic accidents occur because of excess speed," Gen Al Zafeen said.

"Speeding costs society dearly in terms of human capital."

Most offenders were aged between 18 and 36.

Motorists in Dubai committed 695,521 speeding offences in the first seven months, accounting for 63 per cent of total breaches recorded.

Jumping a red light accounted for 8,733 offences.

newsdesk@thenational.ae