Sunday 17 / November / 2024
Muscat: Safety experts have noted a drop in traffic accidents this year, and said people are more aware and being held accountable for their actions on Oman’s roads.
Traffic accidents have again registered a 37.3 percent decrease,as of the end of October 2016, compared to 2015, according to National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
From January 2016 until the end of October 2016, 3,411 accidents have been registered; a drop of 37.3 percent compared to the same period last yearwhen 5,440 accidents were recorded.
Speaking to Times of Oman, Daryl Hardy, CEO of Safety First, said that the efforts of the Royal Oman Police have been successful.
“As a group, we are very happy to hear that the efforts of the ROP are paying off and people are starting to heed the warnings. It’s still too many, but the drop of nearly 40 percent in fantastic,” said Hardy.
“They are also aware of the consequences of driving negligently,” he added.
When asked whether the new traffic law had an effect of the drop in accidents, he replied, “I believe, as a whole, all the implementations that have been made, in which people are held accountable for their actions, is helping.”
In October of this year, 349 accidents were registered, compared to September with 303 and August with 326. Injuries have also fallen by 25.8 per cent as of the end of October 2016, with 2,337 registered, compared to 3,148 during the same period last year.
Both Omani and expatriate victims of traffic accident injuries dropped by 27.2 per cent and 21.2 per cent, respectively, through the end of October this year.
Omanis registered 158 injuries in October, while expatriates recording 66.
Though it is only a small increase, death rates have gone up by only 0.5 percent from the beginning of the year through the end of October 2016, compared to the same period last year with 565 registered in 2016, compared to 562 last year.
Omani death rates have decreased by 3.5 percent through the end of October, compared to last year, with 361 deaths versus 374 on record. However, deaths have increased in October 2016 with 40 registered, compared to 30 in September and 37 in August 2016.
Expatriate deaths registered an 8.5 percent increase from the beginning of 2016 until the end of October, with 204 compared to 188. In October, 17 deaths were recorded, all being males, compared to 19 in September and 21 in August.
Last month, Muscat Governorate registered the highest accident rate, with 31.8 percent of the total, followed by the “rest of the Governorates” with 22.3 percent. Also, 16.9 percent of the total accidents were registered in South Al Batinah Governorate, while 16.0 percent and 12.9 percent were recorded in South Ash Sharqiyah and Adh Dahirah Governorates, respectively.
Of note, 1,351,973 vehicles traveled the nation’s road as of the end of October 2016, according to NCSI.
