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Dubai: An overloaded minibus that also did not maintain safety standards has been seized.
The minibus was carrying 16 passengers while its capacity is for 14 passengers. It was seized on Al Wuhaida Road in Deira.
"This is part of an intensive campaign launched to crackdown on offences committed by minibus drivers after five people lost their lives on Sunday. The minibus they were travelling in turned over and collided with another car on Shaikh Rashid Road," Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police Traffic Department, said.
Impounded
The minibus seized yesterday will be impounded for a month, Al Zafein said.
The police transported the passengers to their workplaces. Five people were killed in the accident on Sunday when the minibus lost control and landed on the opposite side of the road, and was hit by another vehicle.
According to statistics, around 728 fines were issued last year to minibus drivers for overloading minibuses and ignoring safety standards. Traffic police had issued 655 of those fines on the spot while 73 were issued in absentia. In June, traffic police issued 271 fines to minibuses for overloading.
Brigadier Al Zafein had said that the traffic department will hold urgent meetings with companies that own or rent minibuses to discuss safety procedures to prevent accidents.
Driving gets safer
Reckless driving decreased drastically in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
A senior police official said the offences of reckless driving and jumping red lights caught by radars dropped drastically to two in the second quarter of the year as compared to 11,698 offences during the same period last year. He said the offence of jumping red lights dropped to 3,064 offences compared to 8,841 last year. Driving on the hard shoulder dropped to 59 compared to 491 violations during the second quarter of last year.
He said the total number of speeding offences reported in April was 121,582 compared to 89,006 in 2007. In May, the speeding offences were 101,167 offences compared to 100,226 offences last year and in June there were 75,764 offences compared to 82,612 offences.
Has the new black points system made ytou more concious about driving right? What othe improvements have you noticed as a result of the stricter regulations? Do you think more offenses should be categorised for black points? What are they? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnewws.com
Your comments
Ita a welcome move from the authorities because these small vans are very dangerous in high speed roads like emirates road etc...actually such type of vehicles should be banned as with high speed and very narrrow wheel anysmall jerk can make this car overturn or thrown away
Prem
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 17, 2008, 12:52
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