The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai yesterday (Friday, April 21, 2006), conducted a Road Safety Awareness Program in association with the Emarat Motor Sport Federation for more than thousand pedestrians and cyclists living in labour camps in Sonapur. The objective of the program was to educate the labourers about various safety measures they have to take while walking or commuting via cycles, as pedestrians and cyclists were at a greater risk of being fatally injured in road accidents.
Statistics reveal that one pedestrian is killed every four days on Dubai’s roads, in addition to one pedestrian being injured every 15th hour. The highest number of fatalities is reported from Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Baniyas Road and Khalid Ibn Al Waleed Road, with most victims hailing from the Indian subcontinent.
Muna Harib, Manager of Traffic Awareness Department, RTA said, "This is a special effort from the RTA to target the laborers who frequently use cycles to get from one place to another or prefer to walk short distances, while being unaware of safety norms. In line with our commitment to provide safety to all, we will continue organising programs like these wherein we educate them about important safety measures, and in turn bring down the accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians. This is one of our initiatives carried out on an in-depth level through lectures and demonstrations."
Studies reveal that failure to follow traffic rules, walking and cycling in prohibited areas like highways, tunnels, bridges and mid-blocks, and wearing non-reflective clothing at night, are some of the reasons for deaths and injuries. Appreciating the participation of the labourers in the event, RTA arranged for servicing of their cycles and stuck reflective stickers, and also gave caps and T-Shirts with reflective stickers to the participants, to be worn by them while commuting.
