Abu Dhabi Warn Residents on Road Safety

Through a series of video clips, Abu Dhabi Police highlight the dangers of jaywalking and not stopping at pedestrian crossings

Posted on

22 October 2018

| Last updated on 24 July 2019

by Rebecca Roberts

Jaywalking and pedestrian crossings in UAE

Through a series of videos shared on their official Twitter page, Abu Dhabi Police have warned pedestrians and motorists about road safety.

Distributed on the police's social media, the video footage shows horrific cases of pedestrians being hit while trying to cross busy roads - whether by dedicated pedestrian crossings, or via jaywalking.

The series of shocking videos highlight the dangers that face both motorists and pedestrians whilst on UAE roads if laws are not followed.

Jaywalking fines and laws in UAE

In 2017, over 50,000 fines were issued to pedestrians for illegally crossing Abu Dhabi's roads. Jaywalking - the act of crossing a road that does not use a dedicated pedestrian crossing - is a dangerous offence both for pedestrians and motorists.

Individuals who decide to jaywalk risk causing accidents that may potentially harm themselves or drivers on the roads.

According to UAE traffic law, pedestrians who fail to abide by traffic light signals or don't use pedestrian crossings may face a fine of AED 400. Instead, UAE residents are encouraged to use underpasses, bridges and zebra crossings across the emirate.

The following series of video clips shows the shocking results of pedestrians being hit as they attempt to cross a busy highway:

بالفيديو... #شرطة_أبوظبي تكشف مايهدد سلامة المشاة وتدعو مستخدمي الطرق للحذر@stscabudhabi @abudhabidot @NCMS_media @moiuae @AbuDhabi_ADM pic.twitter.com/ptHX7vGKq3

— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) October 20, 2018

In the video, there is also footage of motorists hitting pedestrians as they attempt to use designated pedestrian crossings. A car is seen ploughing into a cyclist crossing a road.

Motorists that refuse to stop at a pedestrian crossing to allow people to walk safely across the road can result in hefty fines.

UAE laws on pedestrian crossings

Any driver who fails to give way to pedestrians on a designed crossing may face a fine of AED 500 and six black points as per the UAE's law.

Additionally, the fine for blocking a pedestrian that is crossing with your car is AED 400... A common occurrence it seems, as displayed in this additional video shared on Abu Dhabi Police's social media channels:

Stopping your vehicle at pedestrian crossings threatens lives and will result in traffic fines. #DoT #ADPolice #AbuDhabi @ADPoliceHQ @stscabudhabi pic.twitter.com/54Kt2EFzGk

— "DoT" دائرة النقل (@AbuDhabiDoT) October 20, 2018