The speed limit on Dubai highways may soon be altered to help reduce traffic accidents, a senior police official was quoted as saying.

Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, chief of Dubai Police Traffic Department said Dubai police have proposed a new plan to slash speed limits by 10km/h on the emirate’s main roads (which currently have a maximum speed limit of 120km/h) including Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Shaikh Zayed Road, according to a report in the Gulf News.

“Reducing speed limits on roads will reduce the number of accidents and traffic fatalities,” said Major General Al Zafein in the report.

He said that the 20-km grace limit could be reduced to be only 10km. “We are also proposing to increase the minimum speed limit on highways from 60km/h to 90km/h which will also help in reducing fatalities on roads,” he added.

He also added that the grace speed limit rules have been in place since 2011 for some specific kind of vehicles including mini-buses, trucks, heavy and light vehicles and taxis. “This rule will be implemented on all vehicles soon,” he said.

Major General Al Zafein said that the traffic fatalities declined nine per cent last year, but traffic accidents increased seven per cent in the same perod and police aim to reduce the rate of deaths on roads by 10 to 25 per cent this year, according to the report.