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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Holidayers, check vehicle before you hit the road

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Muscat, Aug 13 - Even as Eid holidays were announced on Monday, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) urged people to check road-worthiness of their vehicles before hitting the road. Make sure vehicles are properly maintained, especially the brakes, batteries, rear lights and tyres, said the traffic department. It asked motorists to have the repair tools and first-aid kit ready, besides checking levels of coolant oil and engine oil. The ROP said 51 per cent of accidents occur due to speeding, 15 per cent due to vehicle fault, 13 per cent wrong overtaking and 21 per cent other reasons.


Issuing a warning against speeding and reckless driving, it said penalties include a prison term of not less than 10 days and not exceeding two months, a fine of not less than RO 100 and not more than RO 500.


The ROP urged motorists to be careful, especially when driving late night or early morning, due to the foggy conditions in Dhofar as well as en route.

According to the National Centre of Statistics and Information (NCSI), sixty-one per cent of accidents that took place in the Sultanate in June 2018 were at night. The governorates of Muscat and North Al Batinah reported the maximum number of accidents during the period.


Though the number of road accidents declined by 41.9 per cent in June 2018 compared with the same period a year ago, a total of 222 accidents were reported in June this year as against 217 in May and 200 in April.


According to ROP, 131 out of the 3,845 traffic incidents reported in 2017 were because of wrong overtaking.


The number of deaths due to road accidents declined by 17.7 per cent in June compared with the same period last year.


A total of 65 accident-related deaths were reported in June this year, 45 in May and 48 in April.


Out of the 65 accident-related deaths reported in June, 46 are Omanis and 19 expatriates.


A total of 22 Omanis and 23 expatriates lost their lives in May and 27 Omanis and 21 expatriates in April.


Vinod Nair


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