The overall rate of serious accidents in Abu Dhabi decreased by 8 per cent, and the rate of deaths resulting from serious accidents decreased by 19 per cent, during the first part of 2017, a report said.

 The rate of fatal accidents decreased by 3 per cent and the number of traffic violations decreased by 29 per cent, despite a 13 per cent increase in the number of vehicles registered and an increase in new license holders of 6 per cent, reported Wam, the official Emirates news agency, citing the General Command of the Abu Dhabi Police.

Colonel Ahmed Al Shehhi, deputy director of the Traffic and Patrols Department at the Abu Dhabi Police, said that the improvement in the levels of traffic safety in the emirate is due to the implementation of a comprehensive traffic safety plan, which improved the monitoring of roads and reduced the causes of traffic accidents that lead to deaths and injuries, while raising the awareness of drivers in both public and private sectors.

Al Shehhi added that the main causes of major accidents in the first part of 2017 were neglect and a lack of attention, followed by sudden lane shifts, a lack of sufficient distance between vehicles, excessive speeding, careless driving onto main roads, jumping red signals and tyre explosions.

He noted that those mostly involved in road accidents were people in the age group between 18 and 30, as they were responsible for 44 per cent of total accidents. He stressed the importance of community dialogue and communication with young drivers.

Concerning the nationalities of errant drivers, he said Asians accounted for 38 per cent of all traffic accidents, followed by UAE citizens, Arab countries' citizens, and then the Gulf Cooperation Council citizens.

He emphasised that the Abu Dhabi Police awareness plan targeted different nationalities living in the UAE. The plan entails holding lectures for Asian workers about mistakes made by drivers and the causes of road accidents.

He also revealed that speed limit violations accounted for 76 per cent of the total violations in Abu Dhabi during the first half of the current year, and urged drivers to adhere to the posted speed limits.