400 dirhams fine for pedestrians not obeying traffic lights

The Ministry of Interior has raised the fine for pedestrians crossing the road from undesignated places, from 200 to 400 dirhams, according to the recent amendments made to the traffic law, the schedule of violations, and the executive regulations, which are scheduled to be implemented in mid-June.

Article (89) of the amended schedule of violations stipulates two violations, the first is “pedestrians crossing the road outside the places designated for them to cross, if any,” and the second is “pedestrians not adhering to traffic lights,” which did not exist previously, and a fine for each of them is 400 dirhams.

Statistics from the General Administration of Traffic Coordination at the Ministry of Interior revealed that last year witnessed 1,119 run-over accidents, compared to 1,052 cases in 2015, an increase of 6.4%.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi stressed to Emirates Al-Youm the importance of this article in deterring the behavior of some pedestrians who risk their lives and cross road intersections and red lights, which puts their lives in danger.

Saif Ahmed, an employee, said that many run-over accidents are caused by pedestrians who did not appreciate the danger of crossing from places not designated for them, pointing out the importance of tightening the penalty, to deter reckless pedestrians who risk their lives in order to cross the road.

Abu Hazza agreed with him, saying that he almost ran over a pedestrian when he was making a U-turn, and the man did not adhere to safety instructions, and crossed the road while the signal was still red.

Rami Hammad stated that the concerned authorities in Abu Dhabi have established several bridges for pedestrian crossings, and many pedestrian crossing lines and traffic lights have been allocated to ensure their safety while crossing the road, but there are still some groups, especially those of Asian nationality, who make sudden crossings from undesignated places, which… He exposes them to run-over accidents, calling for increasing pedestrian traffic awareness, through various channels.

According to the Federal Traffic Law, the violation of “not giving priority to pedestrians in places designated for them to cross” has not changed, which is worth 500 dirhams and six traffic points, as well as the violation of “parking a vehicle on a pedestrian crossing,” which is worth 500 dirhams, while the fine for the violation of “stopping a vehicle” has been increased. In a way that causes danger to passers-by or obstructs pedestrian movement” from 200 dirhams and three traffic points to 400 dirhams only.

Abu Dhabi Police revealed in its report on the traffic situation, during the first quarter of this year, that the rate of run-over accidents amounted to about 17% of traffic accidents, and Abu Dhabi Police campaigns resulted in issuing 10,369 tickets to pedestrians for crossing the road outside the designated places.

It stated that “the most prominent reasons leading to traffic accidents during the first quarter are negligence, lack of attention, speeding without taking into account road conditions, crossing a red light, entering a main road without ensuring that it is empty of vehicles, not giving priority to pedestrians crossing, not leaving a sufficient distance, and not Commitment to the itinerary, etc.

It is worth noting that Abu Dhabi Police is implementing many initiatives to enhance community partnership, promote positive values, and motivate drivers, through happiness patrols, urging them to adhere to the law, in addition to intensifying traffic control on internal and external roads to reduce the causes that lead to traffic accidents.

Reduce speeds

Abu Dhabi Police called on vehicle drivers to increase caution and attention to pedestrians on various roads, reduce speeds near pedestrian crossings, give them preference in crossing, and pay attention and reduce speeds near markets and industrial places that witness a dense population.

She urged pedestrians to adhere to the use of tunnels and bridges designated for pedestrian crossing, pointing out that traffic police patrols are intensifying road supervision to monitor people who cross the street outside the designated places, exposing themselves to danger, without realizing the resulting consequences of loss of life and property.