One injured in accident on Shaikh Zayed Road

Failure to maintain safe distance causes crash

Dubai: A serious accident along Shaikh Zayed Road caused a traffic gridlock all the way from the second interchange to Jebel Ali just before noon on Wednesday.

One person sustained moderate injuries in the accident that took place at 11.45am near the second interchange, coming from the direction of Abu Dhabi and headed into Dubai, according to the Dubai Police Traffic Department.

Police said the accident was the result of one driver failing to maintain a safe distance between him and the car ahead.

In the past week alone, two men have died while 11 others were injured in seven different accidents in Dubai. An Indian man on his motorbike on the second interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road lost control and overturned as he joined the road. He was seriously injured and died later as a result.

In an another accident, an Emirati man, driving at a high speed along the Dubai-Al Ain Road, hit the cement barrier, resulting in his car becoming airborne before getting stuck under a bridge.

Based on eye witness accounts, police believe the driver suffered a heart attack while driving.

In another serious accident on Monday, a man driving against the flow of traffic in the Burj Down Town tunnel hit two cars headed in the right direction, resulting in seven people sustaining injuries — two from the first car and five from the second car.

Major-General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein said driving against the flow of traffic resulted in 36 accidents last year, of which three people died while 59 others were injured.

On Tuesday, two cars headed in the direction of Abu Dhabi were involved in an accident on the Dubai Bypass Road, resulting in one person sustaining moderate injuries.