Authorities have said that an increase in delivery orders during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a spike in bike accidents in the UAE.
The number of bike accidents in the UAE witnessed a sharp rise after e-commerce and delivery businesses flourished during the COVID pandemic.
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The accidents by delivery riders who work in the goods or food delivery industry were attributed to the lack of knowledge of UAE’s traffic rules and safety norms as they belonged to Asian and African countries.
According to some top officials from traffic police departments in Dubai, Ajman and Sharjah the pandemic lockdown forced residents to stay indoors that resulted in a sharp spike in online orders for the delivery of foods, groceries, medicine and other goods.
Lt. Col. Mohammed Alai Al Naqbi, Director of the Traffic and Patrols Department at the Sharjah Police General Command, said increased traffic awareness for motorcyclists and stricter penalties can reduce bike-related traffic accidents.
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Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has also issued regulations to protect delivery and bike riders.
RTA recently initiated awareness campaigns and promoted courses that cover traffic laws, maps of roads in Dubai, and how to react during traffic accidents.
