Road accidents in Hulhumalé fell by 36 percent after police launched a special traffic operation, the Maldives Police Service said in a release on 29 October.
Operation Reckless Driving began in Hulhumalé on 8 October on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police. Police said 117 accidents were recorded in the period before the operation began, compared with 74 in the period after, a fall of 43.
Police compared 21 September to 7 October with 8 to 24 October.
In Malé, where Traffic Police and Road Management carried out separate enforcement, accidents fell from 128 to 106 over the same periods, a drop of 22 or about 17.2 percent, police said.
Checks and fines
Between 8 and 27 October, police checked 3,151 vehicles in Hulhumalé, including 2,800 motorcycles and 351 four-wheeled vehicles. A total of 808 drivers were given advice or warnings instead of action, 23 vehicles were fined for dangerous driving, 85 people were fined for driving without a licence for that vehicle category and 145 vehicles were towed.
Police noted that the same person may be counted in more than one category, so the figures cannot be added together.
In Malé, police acted on 600 speeding cases, 19 dangerous driving cases, 371 cases of vehicle roadworthiness or equipment deficiencies and 171 illegal parking cases. Thirteen repeat dangerous drivers were given counselling under a special programme, and details of 23 speeding drivers were shared with the companies and offices where they work.
Police said the change was not only the result of enforcement but showed the public respecting the rules. The figures were not the end of the work but a sign of moving in the right direction, police said.