UAE roads getting safer despite rise in vehicles

Roads in the UAE are getting safer, as new statistics reveal.

The number of people killed in collisions on roads in the UAE has fallen by 34.2 per cent in the past five years, according to new data released by the UAE’s Interior ministry.

There were 468 fatalities on UAE roads in 2018, according to the data – down from 712 in 2014. Further, serious traffic incidents decreased from 4,895 in 2014 to 3,712 in 2018 – a decline of about 24.1 per cent. This comes despite an increase in the number of vehicles on roads in the UAE.

In a report carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the Interior ministry said the UAE is on track to reduce the mortality rate on the nation’s roads to three per 100,000 by 2021.

Roads in the UAE are consistently ranked among the best in the world in terms of maintenance and quality. The UAE has ranked first globally since 2014 for road quality, according to the global competitiveness report, issued by the World Economic Forum.

To promote road safety, the UAE also used a “black points” system that penalises drivers for unsafe behaviour.

The accumulation of 24 black points results in revocation of a person’s driving licence, requiring them to attend a safe driving course to re-qualify.

Further, having any alcohol in your bloodstream while driving is illegal.