Dubai Police respond to more than 900 crashes and 26,000 calls during busy Eid Al Fitr holiday

Hundred of accidents reported in Dubai over the three-day break - but incidents are down on last year

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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Police in Dubai responded to more than 900 crashes and dealt with up to 27,000 calls from the public during the three-day Eid Al Fitr holiday.

The number of collisions on the city's roads was down on the same period last year - but emergency and non-emergency calls fielded by police rose by more than 10,000.

Police cited excessive speeding, drivers failing to keep a safe distance between other vehicles and being distracted on the road as the main causes of incidents.

“Some 905 traffic accidents occurred across Dubai during Eid Al Fitr. Over-speeding, failing to leave a safe distance between vehicles and being distracted on the roads are among the main causes of traffic accidents,” said Col Turki bin Faris, director of the Command and Control Department of Dubai Police.

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Col bin Faris said some of the accidents that took place during Eid Al Fitr were moderate to minor.

“Events security committee came up with a comprehensive traffic plan, which led to reducing traffic jams during the holiday,” he added.

Col bin Faris has urged to public to only contact 999 for emergencies and to call 901 to inquire about services provided by the police after a huge increase in the volume of calls.

“We also handled 26,667 emergency and non-emergency calls on 999 and 901,” said Col bin Faris.

A total of 1,300 traffic accidents took place during the same period last year in Dubai and the force handled 15,000 phone calls.