Serious truck accidents down in UAE but can improve
Industry comes together to focus on truck trailer safety
According to data presented at the ‘first-ever’ UAE Truck Trailer Safety Conference by Dubai Police, 73 serious accidents involving trucks were recorded in 2017 (down from 99 in 2016), resulting in 14 fatalities (compared to 36 in 2016) and 109 injuries (down from 187 in 2016).
While there has been a fall in accidents, fatalities and injuries, truck and truck trailer safety should remain an area of focus delegates were told at the event.
The UAE Truck Trailer Safety Conference took place in Dubai last week and was organised by WABCO and supported by Dubai Police and RoadSafetyUAE. Speakers included Dubai Police, RTA, WABCO, RoadSafetyUAE, Dubai Driving Center, Gorica, Gotrade, VOLVO and Continental.
According to the speakers, trailers are a major cause of truck accidents with dangers including trailers tipping on curves due to driver error, trailer tyre bursts, faulty trailer braking systems or by being poorly maintained, old or technically unfit to be operate as truck trailers.
Sherif El-Sheikh, WABCO Regional Leader – Middle East and Africa states told delegates that WABCO is committed to advanced vehicle and driver safety and to reduce the number of accidents involving commercial vehicles.
“We offer an unrivaled range of technology solutions to improve truck and trailer safety and, by joining RoadSafetyUAE’s platform, we are proud to underline our commitment to helping improve road safety and supporting the important objectives of the ‘UAE Vision 2021’,” he said. “A great deal of positive progress has been made at the regulatory level. This includes the RTA requirements adding important articulated truck/trailer education to theoretical and practical driving training. Enhanced driver training and a greater general awareness of truck trailer safety are fundamentally important for the industry and, while continuing to meet rising demand for trailer safety solutions, WABCO is committed to playing its part as a pioneering technology leader.”
According to Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, the organisers wanted to create a new platform for the important topic of truck trailer safety by launching the multi-stakeholder event.
“The event was attended by representatives of governmental entities, the media, truck trailer safety related brands, driving schools, fleet operators and other influencers with regards to truck trailer safety,” he said. “We need to create a common understanding of the burning issues of truck trailer safety and how we can overcome these.”
WABCO recently became the patron of the ‘Truck Trailer Safety’ section on RoadSafetyUAE’s CSR & Activation platform http://www.roadsafetyuae.com/truck-trailer-safety/. The page provides useful and important tips & tricks for drivers and fleet operators with regards to truck trailer safety and can be freely referenced.
