Unified Arab Traffic Week starts [Archives:2005/839/Front Page]

Sana'a, 4 May YT- activities of the Arab Traffic Unified Week was inaugurated in all governorates of Yemen on Wednesday 4 May 2005. Observation of this week was held this year under a motto “Safety of Pedestrians, National Obligation & Common Responsibility”.

This year's celebrations would include holding many activities at schools, institutes and universities, in addition to holding symposiums, lectures and meetings for information and enlightenment on the issue of traffic.

There would also be distribution of leaflets and posters depicting information on traffic safety.

Marking this year's celebrations of traffic week coincide with continued escalation in traffic accidents which in 2004 had amounted to 12257 incidents in various areas of Yemen. Those accidents resulted in the death of 1895 males and 354 females. Number of persons inflicted with serious injures amounted to 5943 and with slight injuries 8174. As for material losses, resulting from those traffic incidents they were estimated at YR two billion, 459 million and 169 thousand.

Traffic incidents in Yemen, especially in centers of major cities and towns, have, in the few past years, become a serious problem affecting seriously the citizen and the state. It is known that there are strict traffic laws in Yemen but the problem lies in the degree of abiding by them by the citizen, motorists and traffic police who supervise implementation of traffic rules. All government establishments specialized in planning of roads, streets, and traffic lights share parts of the responsibility for those tragic events that every day claim lives of innocent people and paralyze many persons as a result of serious injuries. Added to that the great material property losses caused by accidents, causing the state budget billions of hard currency that may be used in development projects in the country.

All efforts by all civilian organizations and media should join to help solve or at least reduce the occurrence of those accidents through launching campaigns of awareness about rules of traffic and abiding by them for the safety of all. Traffic authorities are also requested to strictly implement rules and laws of traffic safety without exception of whosoever violates them.
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