Ramadan: an occasion of coming together for road safety

9 August 2014

Ramadan is a special month for Muslims around the world during which sunset each day marks the observance of Iftar. Iftar is the evening meal when traditionally families and communities come together to break their daily fasting ritual. In recent years Ramadan, per the Islamic calendar, has been occurring in the northern summer which sees extended hours between sunrise and sunset, and with that, extended fasting periods.

GRSP explains that this can represent some unique challenges on the roads coupling a ‘rush hour’ immediately before the Iftar (during which speed is an all too common infringement) with the effects of increased driver fatigue and distraction due to lengthened fast periods. This results in an increase in incidents of road crashes during the month of Ramadan.

As a traditional time of coming together, it is rewarding to see that during Ramadan, the sectors involved in road safety collaborate at heightened levels to combat and respond to the increased trend of road crashes.