12 injured as buses collide in Abu Dhabi

abu dhabi — Twelve workers were injured after two buses collided on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The crash occurred when one of the buses, transporting Asian workers, rammed into the other from behind. The men suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to Khalifa Hospital.

Lt Col Jaber Al Mansouri, head of serious accident investigations at the Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrol Directorate, said initial investigations suggested the collision resulted from the lack of safe distance between the vehicles.

He stressed the need for all drivers, especially those driving bigger vehicles and school buses, to leave sufficient distance for easy control in the event of an emergency.

The officer said that the directorate will continue to raise awareness among drivers within the framework of their strategic plan, which aims to raise the level of drivers’ traffic culture, through social media sites and distribution of brochures.

The police said not leaving sufficient distance between vehicles, or engaging in tailgating increases the risk of rear impact accidents due to the inability of the driver to control or stop his vehicle at the right time when the front driver brakes suddenly.

The officer warned that they have intensified traffic patrols on internal and external roads of Abu Dhabi to control the offenders and that those caught violating the rule will be fined Dh400 and have four black points registered against their licences.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com