Bahrain’s Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) has received a daily average of 10 cases of moderate to serious injuries from road accidents since the beginning of Ramadan, it said.

Twelve cases were received at the Accident and Emergency department on Tuesday, in what was a record for the last 15 days, said SMC chief of medical staff Dr Mohammed Amin Al Awadhi.

He said that most accidents were due to speeding and jumping red lights."There were some serious cases, including one who later died from his injuries. There is usually a surge in such incidents during Ramadan because drivers are in a hurry to reach their destinations.”

"They must understand that with such recklessness, they may be badly injured."

Dr Al Awadhi said most of the accidents occur closer to the time of breaking the fast, when people are most in a rush to get home.

General Directorate of Traffic statistics released in April revealed that traffic accidents cost Bahrain's economy more than BD500,000 ($1.32 million) last year.

A total of 1,810 people were injured at a cost of up to BD300 to treat each patient. Figures also showed an accident was reported every 6.7 minutes.

The Health Ministry had stressed the need for co-operation between government authorities, and private and academic institutions to raise awareness about the issue and find a solution.

A total of 377,432 traffic violations were recorded last year, of which 8.4 per cent were due to speeding and 4.5 per cent for jumping red lights.

Bahrain also reported 149 motorbike accidents, with three fatalities and 44 people seriously injured. Fifty-eight bicycle accidents were recorded, five of which were fatalities and 22 others suffered serious injuries.

There were also a total of 567 road accidents involving pedestrians, which left 28 people dead and 159 seriously injured. – TradeArabia News Service