Abu Dhabi: A Dh400 fine will be slapped on pedestrians found jaywalking, the Abu Dhabi Police has said in a fresh alert.
On the other hand, motorists who fail to give way to pedestrians crossing the road at designated junctions will be penalised with a Dh500 fine, and given six traffic black points, as outlined in the Federal Traffic Law.
Awareness effort
The Police shed light on safe crossing regulations as part of a new campaign it launched at the Gulf Traffic Week. The month-long campaign, titled ‘Your Life is a Responsibility’, aims to enhance road security, and promote a safer traffic culture.
Brigadier General Mahmoud Yousef Al Balushi, acting director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said the campaign also calls on pedestrians to make use of pedestrian traffic lights, which are synced with traffic lights for vehicles, and indicate when pedestrians can safely cross the road. In other cases, pedestrian tunnels and overhead bridges also provide safe routes for crossing.
Safety measures
The Police’s campaign will see officials distributing awareness leaflets in a variety of languages, including Arabic, English, and Urdu.
Traffic and municipal authorities in Abu Dhabi have recently undertaken a number of measures to reduce jaywalking instances, including the plugging of gaps in road median fencing, and the installation of AI-enabled radars to detect motorists who fail to give way to pedestrians using designated crossings.
The Hazer radar system, which was activated in April 2022, captures the license plates of vehicles that move on to a crossing when a pedestrian is still crossing it, with the Police immediately issuing an alert message to the driver.
