Police campaign in Oman for safety

Traffic accidents continue to be a big worry for Oman, with almost a 25 per cent increase in deaths during 2011, according to Lieutenant General Hassan Bin Mohsin Al Shraiqi, Inspector-General of Police and Customs. Presiding over the second meeting of the National Committee for Road Safety at the Police Headquarters in Qurum on Saturday, the top police officer in the country said: "The 1,051 fatalities and 11,322 injuries in road accidents [last year] in Oman is a worrying trend, even though the Sultanate is not considered among the countries with high rates of road crashes." In the past 11 years, nearly 11,000 people have lost their lives on Oman's roads and 70,000 have been injured, some disabled for life. A marginal drop in road accident deaths in 2010 — 820 dead against 953 in 2009 — had raised hopes and with the Royal Oman Police (ROP) intensifying its awareness campaign as well as enforcing traffic regulations strictly, expectations were high for a further drop in traffic accident-related fatalities. However, with motorists not paying heed to repeated appeals from the ROP, speeding and reckless driving continue to be the biggest killers. Moreover, the rate of injuries has risen almost 35 per cent. In 2010, 7,571 people received moderate to serious injuries due to road accidents while 11,322 people were injured last year. Lt Gen Al Shraiqi felt that to change this trend more co-ordinated efforts from all public and private institutions were needed. "Then only can we reduce accidents," he said. The police chief said the ROP appreciates all efforts to cut down road accidents and has vowed to continue its campaign to increase public awareness and to bring in a culture of traffic safety among people. "The ROP is constantly monitoring the roads to apprehend violators of traffic rules, especially reckless drivers who put the lives of other road-users at risk," he added. The committee reviewed plans to increase traffic patrols and to install more fixed and mobile radars for roads. The meeting discussed ways to cut down accidents at specific spots and reviewed measures prepared by the Technical Committee of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.