Introduction of ‘golden points’ in Ajman
On February 12, 2018, the Ajman police introduced a new traffic law. Known as the golden points, it rewards 10 good drivers for going a year without any traffic violations. This is to encourage road safety, and motivate drivers to keep their records clean while they anxiously wait to know what the reward will be.
One of the primary causes of death in the UAE is traffic accidents, which have been on the rise since 2010. Residents living in Dubai are 7 more times at risk of dying as a result of car accidents than those living in the UK. According to the health authority of Abu Dhabi , 63% of deaths are caused by road and traffic accidents.
However, the UAE government has been making great efforts to reduce the number of traffic accidents. In addition to several driving awareness campaigns, it installed numerous speed limit enforcements, also known as radars, and installed Salik toll gates in Dubai which makes drivers alternate their travel road hence reducing traffic. Thus, Dubai has seen a decline of 40% of its traffic accidents in 2017 compared to 2016 according to Gulf News. Maj-Gen Zalfein an official in federal traffic council stated in Gulf News that “more police patrols and crackdowns on reckless drivers helped reduce the number of death in 2017 compared to 2016.”
As stated in The National, the country has also seen a 27% drop in traffic accidents in results of police initiatives, which includes traffic-free day. Because of these precautions and road safety enforcement, the government has been able to reduce the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents.
“Even though the country is fairly safe, we always read in the news about a car accident that has taken away several lives,” stated Ahmaad Red, a resident in Ajman for over 10 years.
Good drivers in Ajman who have not incurred fines will receive two golden points per month, and the 10 drivers who collect 24 golden points till March 2019 will be rewarded. However, the nature of the award has not been disclosed yet.
“I think this is good news, as I will personally try my best to gather golden points. I hope the reward will be pleasing,” said Safaa Mahdy, an engineering student in AUD who lives in ajman with her family.
“This will encourage a lot of youngsters and even adults to drive safer. It will be a good way to reduce traffic accidents” said Hashem Ali, a resident in ajman for over 5 years
In conclusion, there have been several discussions on the introduction of the golden points across UAE since 2017, and it has finally been introduced in Ajman.
The results will be observed and examined, and time will tell if the ‘golden points’ system is to be enforced in other Emirates.
Photo by Bin Al Stroker
