Dubai: The speed limit on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road might revert to 120kph next year if the number of casualties on the road remain the same before reducing the speed limit, a top traffic police officer said.

Major-General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Dubai Police’s Assistant Commander-in-chief for Operations, and head of the UAE Federal Traffic Council, said six months after reducing the speed limit on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road to 110kph, they will assess and make comparisons with accident stats and if the results are the same or worse than before the speed limit revision, authorities might reinstate the old speed limit.

“When we reduced the speed limit from 120kph to 110kph, our aim was to save lives and statistics before and after six months [of the change] at least will determine that. If the comparison results are the same or negative on March 15, then I promise everyone to apologise and work with the RTA to revert to the speed as it was,” Maj-Gen Al Zafein tweeted.

The maximum speed limit on two major highways of Dubai, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, was reduced on October 15.

According to Dubai Police, both the highways have accounted for the death of 39 people each from the beginning of last year, which forced the authorities to revise the speed limit as at least 60 per cent of the accidents were associated with speeding.

During the first half of this year, the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road was the scene of 99 accidents resulting in six fatalities and 78 injuries.

Last year, the highway saw 196 accidents resulting in 33 deaths and 249 injuries.

Similarly, the Emirates Road witnessed 40 accidents during the first half of this year resulting in 10 fatalities and 75 injuries.

Last year, the highway saw 86 accidents involving 29 deaths and 147 injuries.

“The purpose of making the study before and after six months is to see the success of [having] reducing speed limit on the two roads [and] based on the number of accidents and fatalities ... I will reveal the stats with transparency,” Maj-Gen Al Zafein tweeted.