Police chiefs call for UAE road markings

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Police chiefs call for UAE road markings The Federal Traffic Council has recommended putting markings on roads to show how far drivers should stay away from the vehicle in front. The move is one of a number of ideas the council is looking at in a bid to improve road safety. It is also examining best practices in the UK and US and planning to have unified awareness campaigns across the UAE rather than being conducted by individual forces. General Mohammad Saif Al Zafeen, director of the council, said it has made a recommendation to the Ministry of Interior to install the markings on roads. Not leaving enough distance between vehicles is blamed for more road deaths in the UAE than any other factor, according to a report by national news agency WAM. Al Zafeen told 7DAYS: “Not leaving enough distance between vehicles is a dangerous offence which causes the deaths of many people. We will find a way of placing signs on the asphalt to identify the safe distance.” He said a trial of the scheme will be carried out in Abu Dhabi for a month. “We will check the results to see if its working or not before implementing it on all UAE roads,” Al Zafeen said. He said the council is also studying methods used in Britain and America. In the UK, drivers are urged to stay two chevrons from the vehicle in front on motorways, a distance of almost 100m. The council has also suggested making traffic campaigns UAE-wide. “Our main concern is reducing the death toll on the roads and with such federal traffic campaigns we will educate all UAE residents and motorists,” Al Zafeen said. Among other ideas is to extend the period of time before a new car needs to be re-registered to four years. The owner would still need to renew their insurance and pay traffic fines. ali.shouk@7days.ae Read the original story at: Police chiefs call for UAE road markings