By Samir Salama, Associate Editor www.gulfnews.com
Abu Dhabi: The UAE has all the potential to be the best country in the world in road safety or at least among the top five, said a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official on Tuesday.
Traffic police and road authorities in different emirates have set ambitious goals to reduce fatality on roads, but the remark of Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability, is the first of its kind by an international expert that qualifies the UAE to top the list of safest countries in the world.
The UAE ranked 171 out of 179 countires in terms of road safety with 37.1 deaths per 100,000 of population according to the WHO in 2011.
UAE authorities, however, believe that the international estimation is too high and does not reflect the realiity. According to a top police officer in Dubai accident deaths on UAE roads fell from 21.7 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2007 to just three in 2012. More info
