Bus crashes as driver falls asleep, 10 hurt
DUBAI: Ten people were injured in a traffic accident when a bus driver dozed off and crashed into a metal barrier, causing the vehicle to flip over on Umm Suqeim Road in Dubai earlier this morning ( on Thursday).
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Director of the General Department of Traffic Police, explained that at around 6am, the Command and Control Centre at Dubai Police received an emergency call reporting an accident involving a 32-passenger bus on Umm Suqeim Road ater the Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan roundabout towards Sheikh Zayed Road.
“Traffic patrols and first responders were immediately dispatched to the accident site where they facilitated the arrival of the ambulance and other emergency teams and assisted the transfer of the severely injured to a hospital for necessary treatment,” Al Mazrouei said.
Al Mazrouei said traffic investigators atributed the cause of the accident to the driver’s lack of sleep. “The driver dozed off and lost control of the bus and rammed into a metal barrier on the right side of the road. The collision impact caused the bus to skid back to the let side and flip over,” he continued.
The director of Dubai Traffic Police urged companies to communicate with their drivers and ensure they understand the importance of having plenty of rest before transporting workers or going on any journey. “The bus driver obviously hadn’t got adequate rest or sleep, so he nearly caused the death of many people,” Al Mazrouei explained.
He warned that deaths and injuries in accidents involving modes of mass transport constitute a large percentage of the total number of road deaths recorded in the emirate.
Earlier, a 22-year-old Emirati national, identified as HKHS, was killed in a traffic accident on Monday night on Kuwait Street in Fujairah city.
According to Colonel Saleh Al Dhanhani, Director of the Traffic and Patrols Department at the Fujairah Police General Headquarters, the accident occurred when a vehicle on Kuwait Street suddenly veered and collided with a motorcycle driven by a UAE national. The collision reportedly claimed the life of HKHS, while the Arab driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries. The driver was taken to Fujairah Hospital to receive the necessary first aid.
Al Dhanhani appealed to drivers to adhere to traffic laws and regulations, to avoid accidents and preserve safety of the people.