The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is set to begin today in case of spotting of the moon in some parts of the world. Muslims all over the world will start observing fasts for the period of a month, starting today. But these fasting can have some adverse effects and cause accidents finds out a new survey. The  RoadSafetyUAE and I-Insured found out that male motorists are more prone to accidents during the festival of Ramadan. Ramadan 2018 Moon Sighting & Date in Turkey, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria & Other Parts of West Asia: Will Fasting Begin From Wednesday?

They have urged motorists to be extra careful, aware of their own limitations and also not to speed during journeys. They found out that almost 1,651 accidents took place in the holy month last year. And most of these took place at the morning rush hours between  10 am and 11 am. The study even said that Tuesday is the most dangerous day to be on the roads and Saturdays were the safest. More statistics revealed that motorists above 40 years of age accounted for 28% of insurance claims and male motorists were 77%, who were more likely involved in accidents within a group.

Fasting for the whole day can be strenuous more because of the summers, which are only getting hotter day by day. It can affect a person's attentiveness, concentration and vision too. The sleeping patterns during the month are also affected which can cause a stress among the people, a resultant fatigue can cause accidents due to distraction. Among the reported accidents, almost half of them or precisely 47% were caused by Indian drivers. While Emiratis caused 14 percent, Pakistanis 12 percent, Egyptians 6 percent and Jordanians 3 percent. Only 8 percent of those involved in accidents were aged between 18 to 24.

Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, said, “Motorists must realise that even if they arrive late for a Ramadan event, people will understand. Good time management is crucial and motorists are urged to leave early enough and allow for a time buffer to reach their destination on time. We need to display a caring attitude for ourselves and for others in this very special period." He stressed on how the change in lifestyle during Ramadan can affect one's behaviour and also affect the traffic scenario.  Healthy fasting is important to maintain a good health and nutrition during the holy month.

There was also a rise in the speeding cases reported last year in Sharjah. About 3,300 cases of speeding were recorded during the first two weeks of Ramadan last year. Most common traffic offences were recorded during the holy month. The urgency to reach the destination before iftar is another reason which causes accidents. Cops patrolling the roads also intensify during Ramadan to monitor the traffic, especially around the areas of mosques.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2018 09:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).