Four killed and 59 injured in crashes on Dubai traffic hot spots this year

More than 13,000 collisions recorded since January, police reveal

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 21st, 2018: Traffic in Downtown, Dubai. Wednesday, March 21st, 2018 in Downtown, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
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Four people were killed and fifty-nine others injured in more than 13,000 car crashes in the first five months of the year in some of Dubai's most congested areas, police said.

The incidents were caused by speeding, sudden swerving and not leaving a safe distance between vehicles, said Col Omar Moosa Ashour, head of traffic unit at Al Rashidiya police station.

The traffic unit at Al Rashidiya Police Station handles some of the most congested areas in Dubai, including Al Qarhoud, Mirdif, Warsan, Al Warqa and Al Rashidiya.

A total of 13,230 traffic collisions took place in the areas handled by Al Rashidiya police station.

Police say that some drivers pretend they were not at fault for the crash, while others settle claims before officers arrive at the scene.

The string of horror crashes include an Emirati driver who died in a collision involving three cars and a cement mixer vehicle.

“The cement mixer vehicle driver stopped on the left side of the Emirates Road, asking another driver for directions. Two vehicles collided with them, causing the death of the Emirati driver,” explained Col Ashour.

“The accident took place in March this year. Fog patches covered most areas at that time. The accident took place due to the Pakistani driver stopping his heavy vehicle on the road. He pretended that his vehicle broke down. However, when one of the team members moved the heavy vehicle from the accident site, it worked properly."

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Col Ashour said Members of the traffic unit spent three hours on the accident site, examining the cause of the accident.  The Pakistani driver has been referred to the public prosecution.

“In another accident, twelve people were injured in a multiple vehicle accident on Emirates Road towards Jabal Ali. Initial investigations showed the accident was caused by sudden swerving by the Egyptian driver who hit a white bus, causing the bus to flip and colliding with other vehicles,” said Col Ashour.

“We came up with this conclusion as the Egyptian was driving a dark blue car and we found few scratched on the white bus.

“After an in-depth investigation, a picture was taken for the accident and showed that the white bus swerved, flipped several times, hit the dark blue car and caused the accident between the other vehicles. The Egyptian driver was acquitted of dangerous driving causing a severe accident,” said Col Ashour.

While tragedies still occur on the roads of Dubai, Col Ashour says awareness campaigns are leading to safer driving and new traffic rules are also having an impact.

“The number of road deaths have decreased in Dubai compared to previous years,” said Col Ashour.