UAE

Ministry of Interior launches quarterly "Traffic Safety for Cyclists" campaign

31 Dec 2024 23:24

KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) announced the launch of its "Traffic Safety for Cyclists" campaign on Thursday, aimed at raising traffic safety awareness among riders of all types of bicycles including manual, electric, scooters, motorcycles and delivery bikes.

The quarterly campaign will run from January 1 to the end of March 2025, with the primary objective of enhancing awareness of traffic culture and regulating the use of all types of bicycles to reduce traffic accidents nationwide.

The campaign aims to encourage the use of modern tools and alternatives to improve and sustain safety, leverage advanced systems and technology, and uphold and educate the public on current laws in order to improve safety.

According to the Ministry, in 2023, motorcycles caused 783 traffic resulting in 42 deaths and 1,020 injuries of varying severity, while electric motorcycles caused 20 accidents, resulting in one death and 20 injuries.

In recent years, several efforts and laws have been put in place in a bid to reduce these rates, particularly as the number of delivery and casual riders on the roads increases.

These include traffic safety campaigns, regulations for delivery drivers, which include banning them from the fast lane on motorways and enforcement of protective gear requirements.

The latest campaign is expected to reinforce education efforts and help reduce accidents caused by factors including distracted driving, using mobile phones or other distractions while riding, sudden swerving resulting in unexpected lane changes without proper signalling, as well as tailgating and accidents caused by negligence and inattention.