Light crew buses in Dubai will soon be fitted with speed limiting devices, a senior police official has revealed.
The move comes following a meeting on Monday between police and representatives of more than 50 companies that own or rent minibuses.
In the past fortnight, seven people have died and many others injured in road incidents involving speeding minibuses and police chiefs were keen to hear the reasons behind the increasing number of traffic offences and accidents, reported UAE daily Gulf News.
Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police’s Traffic Department said there is a plan to install speed limiters in minibuses which will prevent drivers from exceeding 100kmh.
“Most minibuses which were involved in fatal accidents resulted in high number of victims were speeding excessively which does not suit the vehicle’s nature,” he said.
He added that the minibus involved in the fatal crash on Sheikh Rashid Road two weeks ago was travelling at between 140-160km/hr.
He added the traffic department had confiscated 65 minibuses as part of a campaign launched to crack down on offences.
The news comes just days after safety group Build Safe Dubai issued guidelines over the correct way to drive and handle the vehicles. The rules include leaving safe distances, signaling and not speeding.