Deaths on Bahrain's roads have decreased by 29 per cent, according to latest figures.

Sixty-one traffic fatalities were recorded in Bahrain last year compared to 86 registered in 2013 and 89 in 2012, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The statistics, which were released yesterday (January 7), showed that 19 of the people who died in traffic accidents last year were pedestrians, 11 were passengers and 31 were drivers.

Of the fatal accidents, 18 were caused by excessive speed and seven by jumping a red light, said Traffic Directorate general director Shaikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa.

A total of 1,132 minor accidents and 544 serious accidents were also reported during the year.

"The marked decline in death rates in 2014 is a result of the directorate's efforts to maintain safety on the road," he said during a Press conference held at the Traffic Directorate in Isa Town.

"It also indicates how disciplined people in Bahrain are as they have become more aware of the importance of following traffic rules.

"Bad driving habits exist in all countries but overall people in Bahrain tend to stick to rules.

"However, these habits can be reduced by regulations and monitoring."

According to the figures, the number of registered vehicles in Bahrain increased from 545,155 in 2013 to 581,141 last year.

"We encourage people to use public transportation to ease the congestion," said Shaikh Nasser.

"One of the projects that we are working on is to get schools to use buses that can accommodate bigger number of students.

"The number of registered cars is on the increase but we cannot do anything about it and we cannot also limit the number of people getting a driver's licence as our role is to only train them well."

Shaikh Nasser also said that new measures, introduced last month to allow learner drivers to use automatic gearboxes during their lessons and tests, will allow people to focus on road safety instructions instead of struggling with clutch control.

"Learners focus on the clutch instead of paying attention to the instructors directives," he explained.

"We want to teach them to use their turn signals, which is something that people rarely do now.

"They must also know that it is important to leave a gap between their vehicles and other vehicles." - TradeArabia News Service