Police step up Addu traffic monitoring to prevent fatal accidents

Police have begun monitoring traffic on southern Addu City’s link road in a bid to prevent fatal accidents, which have killed at least six people this year.

Police Sub Inspector Jamsheed Ali, commander for the Addu region, said police officers are conducting daily checks on vehicles to ensure safety measures are met and advising drivers to respect speed limits.

Traffic obstructions have also been placed on the 14-kilometre road.

Addu City Council said some 112 accidents occurred on the link road last year. Five people died and 104 suffered major injuries.

A police spokesman said: “The biggest cause of accidents in Addu is speeding, not bad traffic management or lack of road maintenance. The motorcycles used in Maldives are not meant for speeding.”

Abdulla Thayyib, the deputy mayor of Addu, said the government must increase traffic police officers and police vehicles to manage traffic.

According to the police, a total of 1,613 traffic accidents have occurred in the Maldives and 144 accidents were reported in September alone.