Forty-five per cent of accidents reported in November 2017 took place at night, as per the latest figures by National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The Royal Oman Police’s (ROP) campaigns had urged motorists to overcome fatigue while driving by taking a short nap at resting places along the road. Statistics show Muscat recorded most accidents in the night at 25.9 per cent, followed by Al Batinah North and Dhofar, both 12.2 per cent each. Al Batinah South accounted for 11.9 per cent of the accidents. An earlier report had indicated accidents generally happen on Thursdays and Saturdays compared with other days of the week.
“In Muscat city, I believe motorists are either careless or in a hurry. It is not too much about extensive speeding like in expressways or the long haul routes,” said Jayant Parekh, who often returns to Muscat late from construction sites in the interior areas. “I think it is more about having driving etiquettes and the skills. Just as stalking a person on the streets can be offensive, so is tailgating irrespective of the fact whether there is a traffic block or not,” said an official from the Civil Defence. “In the past, traffic signals used to shut down after midnight, but that is not the case at most intersections. It is just that there are a few who do not respect the other motorists,” felt Joseph Mathew from the insurance sector who attends to accident claims.
For the fifth year in a row, the ROP recently claimed there has been a decrease in the number of road accidents and loss of lives. Deaths from accidents have fell by 52 per cent and injuries by 33 per cent. There has been an 18.4 per cent dip in the number of road accidents recorded until the end of November 2017 compared with the same period of 2016. According to NCSI, the number of injuries has declined by 0.4 per cent. The number of deaths dropped 5.8 per cent from 580 in the first 11 months of 2017 compared with 616 in the same period of 2016.
Vinod Nair
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