121 Dubai drivers fined for blocking ambulances and police

Officers say selfish motorists are risking lives by failing to move

CORRECTION.

United Arab Emirates - Dubai - March 2, 2011.

NATIONAL: Al Muhaisana Station emergency medical workers Joy Rayas (cq-al), left, and Hamza Saeed, right, try to find the location of an injured man in the Al Muhaisana labor camp in Dubai on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. Each station responds to 3-4 calls per day and occasionally face difficulty fighting their way through traffic to get to the injured. Amy Leang/The National
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More than 100 drivers have been fined this year for blocking emergency vehicles on Dubai's roads.

Police recorded 121 incidents between January and this month.

Officers warned lives could be lost if motorists ignore ambulances or police rushing to or from the scene of accidents.

“A delay in getting to [accident] victims may result in deaths,” said Brig Saif Al Mazroui, head of Dubai's traffic police.

The rate of incidents this year is on course to match or exceed last year, when 166 were recorded in 12 months, though that was down from 247 in 2017.

A delay in getting to [accident] victims may result in deaths

Police are urging motorists to give way to emergency vehicles on social media and with adverts in Arabic, English, Urdu, and Tagalog. They will also target schools and driving schools.

Cameras are already being used to penalise drivers who fail to move.

“It's essential to spread a culture of giving way to emergency, police and official convoys to improve response speeds to accidents, so we can get much-needed services to the injured without delay,” said Maj Gen Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, acting assistant police chief for operations.

Motorists can be fined Dh1,000 to Dh3,000 - up from Dh500 previously - depending on the nature of the offence. Offenders also receive six black points on their licence and can have their car impounded for one month.

In the UAE, drivers' vehicles are confiscated when they have 24 points on their licence.