The UAE will carry out a nation-wide audit of its roads before 2009 end to study the potential causes of accidents, the Department of Transport (DoT) has announced.

The Abu Dhabi Road Safety Audit, to be carried out by an independent local and international expert team, will cover every road and highway in the country.

The study will help develop new UAE-specific road safety guidelines for existing and future road networks, and influence the potential use of routes as well as the impact of driving behaviour.

The audit will cover 200 checks on each road including signage, visibility, road markings, crash barriers, provision for heavy vehicles, pedestrian access and parking.

Each check will be carried out twice, once in daylight and once at night, to study the issues under varying driving conditions.

A multi-government agency team consisting of members of the Abu Dhabi Police, the Department of Municipal Affairs and the DoT will finalise the guidelines and conduct the road safety audits.