Next time when you cross the roads, think and pass. That’s what the Dubai Police expect from pedestrians in the country.

As part of its strategic plans to make Dubai a safe city, the Dubai Police on Wednesday launched an awareness campaign themed “Think … and pass”, which will last for two weeks. Colonel Jassim Khalil Mirza, director of the department of security awareness in the public administration for community happiness, said that the campaign is organised by the General Department for Community Happiness in cooperation with the General Department of Traffic. The security awareness department has developed the awareness initiative, which is also made available on social media platforms through awareness films and statistics about run-over incidents during the past two years.

Colonel Mirza said that last year’s statistics showed that 357 cases of run over resulted in 49 deaths and 377 injuries, and the victims were aged between eight and 72 years. Most run-over cases  happened in the evenings and the majority of the injured were men. While the number of males injured reached 293, the females were 84.

Colonel Mirza added that most of the run-over accidents occurred in Muhaisna 2 area with 14 incidents, followed by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road, which recorded 13 incidents; and the International City area with 10 cases.

Colonel Mirza said that awareness leaflets containing tips on proper crossing of the street – including choosing the right location, standing on the sidewalk, looking before crossing the street and crossing in a straight line and in regular steps – will be distributed during the campaign. To ensure their safety on the road, pedestrians are urged to follow these guidelines: Know the direction of vehicles as far as possible, wear reflective or light clothing at night, cross from designated areas, monitoring vehicles before and during crossing, and adhere to pedestrian crossing signals.

The violation of pedestrian crossing from non-designated areas will incur a fine of AED 200.

Pause, ponder over these numbers before jaywalking

> Total run-over accidents: 357
> Number of fatalities: 49
> Total number of injured: 377
> Number of men injured: 293
> Number of women hurt: 84