Police ask drivers to be careful as Eid ends

ABU DHABI // Police have appealed to drivers to be careful in busy traffic as the Eid al Fitr holidays end. Officers from the Abu Dhabi Traffic Department visited injured drivers at Mafraq Hospital yesterday, the state news agency WAM reported. Major Ahmed Salem al Neyadi presented flowers to motorists and implored others to abide by traffic laws, or face the consequences.

In Fujairah, three men were killed in a crash on a mountain road, officers said, the worst of a series of accidents over the last week. Police declined to confirm reports that the men were Indian nationals. While some families have chosen to holiday abroad to celebrate the end of Ramadan, thousands of people are driving to shopping centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, causing severe congestion. Dubai Police also warned of reckless young motorists.

Col Saif Muhair al Mazrouei, deputy director of the Dubai Police traffic department, identified as possible hazards youths driving irresponsibly in cars and motorbikes on roads as well as the desert. He urged young people to abide by safety measures, including holding the necessary licences and wearing protective gear. Eid has also been a time when youths risk their lives in high-speed car races and dangerous motorbike stunts.

hnaylor@thenational.ae