Speed demons in the capital will have to put on their brakes as police take a bird’s eye view to ramp up efforts to monitor the city’s roads in order to curb dangerous driving.
Using helicopters, the Traffic Air Patrols – which observe the movement in traffic in cooperation with the Air Wing Section in Abu Dhabi Police – detected 100 traffic offenders in a two week period last month.
Major Mohsen Bakheit Al Menhali, chief of the External Roads Traffic Section in the External Roads Traffic Department, explained that the violations included drivers overtaking on the hard shoulder, driving without a sufficient distance and failure to remain in the traffic lane.
Air patrols have been equipped to monitor, record footage and issue tickets against traffic violators. Cars with fake number plates or without plates are typically targeted by air patrols, which then liaise with on-ground traffic patrols to seize the vehicles.
He also warned that youths who perform dangerous stunts with cars and motorcycles and practise drifting are being monitored by the air patrols. He said they will be subject to the pertaining laws and regulations; they will be detained and their vehicles and motorcycles will be seized. Their pending cases will then be referred to the relevant authorities for the necessary action to take place.
In addition to the air patrols to curb accidents and dangerous behaviour, the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate recently revoked 68 driving licences from truck drivers during September. The drivers will have their licences revoked for a period of three months and were levied fines reaching AED 10,000 for hazardous overtaking, a major cause of heavy trucks accidents, deaths and injuries.
