Three lives lost as rain wreaks havoc on roads at weekend
ABU DHABI // Three people were killed and six injured in traffic accidents at the weekend as the rainy weather caused havoc on the roads. Between Friday and Saturday, Abu Dhabi Police received 14,351 calls , including 9,260 calls from the capital, 3,790 calls from Al Ain Region, and 1,301 calls from Al Dhafra Region.
There were 11 accidents in the emirate on Friday and Saturday, police said. They included runovers, collisions and rollover cases, most of which were caused by motorists’ sudden swerving, lack of awareness of other road users, failure to give way to other drivers and pedestrians, and speeding.
Traffic patrols, ambulances, rescue teams and the police’s central operations centre were on alert.
Police issued tickets to motorists for offences, including 37 for crossing a red light, 195 for failure to use seat belts, nine for reckless driving, 23 for failure to observe a safe distance between cars, and 53 for the use of mobile phones while driving.
Dubai Police said 1,447 traffic accidents were reported between Thursday evening and Sunday morning.
In Ajman, weather- related traffic accidents – including a runover and a collision between a car and a motorcycle – left three people with serious injuries, Ajman Police said. But there was no serious injury in the 314 minor crashes that occurred in the emirate at the wet weekend.
Police blamed the crashes on motorists not staying in their lanes, entering roads before ensuring they were free of vehicles, and not leaving safe distances between cars.