Roadside ruse fools speeding drivers
UMM AL QUWAIN // Speeding drivers have been slamming on the brakes at the sight of a police patrol car parked by the side of the road in Umm Al Quwain.
In the event of a car chase, however, they would probably have escaped. Despite its authentic paint job and flashing lights, the “patrol car” on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road was a cardboard cut-out.
Fake or not, it convinced drivers. Mohamed Rihan, 26, an Indian sales engineer, hit the brakes when he saw it. “From about two kilometres away, I saw a red light blinking on the right side of the road, which resembled that of a police car,” he said. “As there was no radar around, I slowed down from 140kph to 120kph.”
“When I passed by I was surprised to find a car-shaped board with a red police car drawn on the front side and with blinking lights.
“Today I came by the E311 to RAK but did not see it. I come here twice a week and I saw it only once on Saturday,” Mr Rihan said.
He thought the idea to slow speeding motorists was a good one. Mohammed Abdeen, 30, a business development manager from Jordan, saw the fake car last Friday and was another to be fooled.
“I reduced my speed but, when I became close to it, I noticed it was just a model with lights on it,” he said.
“I had to ask my wife if what I saw was right or not because it made me confused.”
The cardboard cut-out was in place for a few days before being removed by police, who were keeping quiet about whether or not the device would become a regular feature on the busy motorway.