Call for caution on Oman roads after bike crashes

 After nearly 250 accidents involving motorcycles and bicycles in the Sultanate last year, representatives of clubs have called on residents in the country to show more awareness on roads.

According to the latest facts and figures released by the Royal Oman Police and the Directorate General of Traffic, 13 people died in 114 accidents involving motorbikes, which caused a further 128 injuries. In addition, 19 people lost their lives in 133 bicycle-related collisions, while another 123 injuries were reported. 

Alkatab Al Amri of Muscat Bikers told the Times of Oman that the main reason bikers are involved in road accidents is because other drivers don’t accord enough respect to those who regularly travel on two-wheelers.

“Whenever we are on the road, we are bullied by those who drive in cars,” he revealed.

“Often, they come really close to us in an attempt to scare us, and sometimes, bikers will get scared because they are concerned about their own lives.

“They’ll flash us, both from behind and in front, to try and make us lose focus of the road, and to them, this may just be a game, but these are our lives at stake.”

“People here are simply not aware that what they are doing is dangerous to others,” added Al Amri.

“They’ll attempt to race us by revving their engines really loudly near us, and they also suddenly stop their cars in front of us to try and intimidate us, and bikers, who are unprepared, will often topple over the car and this could lead to very serious injuries.”

Al Amri advised bikers not to ride their vehicles on narrow roads, where collisions can occur more often, and advocated the use of the highways or main roads, where there is more room to manoeuvre. His sentiments were echoed by Mohammed Al Obaidani, chief executive officer of the Muscat Triathlon Club.

“While there are many here who respect cyclists on the road, that is unfortunately a minority, and many of the people who drive cars here just don’t give consideration to other people,” he said.

“I’ve seen many of my friends suffer injuries because the cars on the roads have not treated them accordingly, and when you fall, it’s very likely that you suffer injuries to your neck and spine.

“Sometimes, your head might also suffer serious injury, and this could lead to long-term paralysis or even death,” added Al Obaidani. “It’s completely unfair that we have to undergo this sort of treatment every time we are on the roads, and I would advise car drivers to treat others on the road, whether they are or motorbikes or bicycles, with respect.”

Al Obaidani cautioned cyclists as well, asking them to stay off the main roads, where high-speed traffic is common.

“I understand that we don’t have the sort of cycle pathways that they do in England, Denmark or the Netherlands, where they have amazing facilities for cyclists, and that may not be possible here because everything in Oman is already built, so there’s no room for it, but we must also do our part to be careful,” he said.

“At night, make sure your cycles have their headlights and tail-lights working, always wear a high-visibility vest and please make sure you have your helmet on,” stressed Al Obaidani.

A total of 692 people died in 4,721 accidents last year, which resulted in another 3,261 injuries. Speeding led to 378 of those deaths, while neglect was the root cause of another 103.

While the number of registered motorbikes in Oman is still small, it is a significant number: 598 were registered last year, and a further 193 have been registered between January and March 2017, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

Source: Timesofoman