The head of the Federal Traffic Council of the UAE said he wanted to reduce the speed limit on the Sheikh Zayed Road by ten kilometres, but his request was rejected by other members of the council.

Speaking to 7Days newspaper, General Mohammad Saif Al Zafeen said speed was main reason for 80 percent of road casualties.

“There have been 151 people killed in traffic accidents so far this year, compared to 146 people in the same period last year. Speeding is a main reason behind 80 per cent of road casualties,” Al Zafeen said.

Drivers on the Sheikh Zayed Road, where the speed limit is 100kph, can travel at a speed of 120kph before the radars kick in. Al Zafeen said he attempt to reduce that threshold by ten kilometres, but was stopped by other members of the council.

The latest figures released by Dubai Police show that 151 people were killed on the roads in Dubai during the first 10 months of this year, an average of one death every two days.

Al Zafeen said Dubai Police recorded 2.2 million traffic offences this year, 59 percent of which were for speeding.

“We added 48 speed radars to our roads this year and the total number is now 425,” Al Zafeen added.

Dubai Police also released an image showing the aftermath of a road traffic accident that happened this week on Sheikh Rashid Road, before Al Garhoud Bridge on the Bur Dubai side.

Police said the Saudi driver lost control of his AED350,000 ($95,288) Range Rover at 140kph at 2.30am on Tuesday, hit a tree and exploded, killing the driver.

“The Saudi driver was driving way over the speed limit when he lost control of the rented Range Rover and jumped over the pavement before the bridge,” Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, head of the Traffic Department at Dubai Police, told 7Days newspaper.

“He hit a tree and his vehicle continued moving, flipping several times and hitting other trees until a fire broke out and burned what was left of the car,” he added.

He said police officers were unable to identify the make of the vehicle until they discovered a Range Rover badge in the trees.