Dubai: As residents prepare for long drives to visit family and friends or head out to resorts in other emirates during the Eid holidays, authorities and experts said residents should ensure their cars are in proper condition to avoid any road mishaps and accidents.
Seven people have died in Dubai over the last six days in road accidents caused by cars parked in the middle of the highway due to car trouble, according to Senior Chief Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution.
Four people sustained critical-to-moderate injuries on Tuesday when their minibus crashed into a truck that had been parked on the fourth lane of Al Khail Road, after it was involved in a minor traffic accident.
On Thursday night, four people, including a nine-month-old infant, died when their car rammed into a car parked in the third lane of Shaikh Zayed Road due to a tyre breakdown. Both cases are under police investigation.
While it might appear to be common sense not to park your car in the middle of the highway or near the fast lane, experts say some drivers tend to panic and make wrong decisions that lead to injuries and worse, death.
In September last year, a driver died after his body was cut in half in a traffic accident along Mohammad Bin Zayed Road. Police said the driver parked his car on the left side of the road to fix a flat tyre and did not see the oncoming vehicle on the fast lane. The man died on the spot in full view of his wife and daughter.
Getting proper and regular car maintenance ideally gives a driver peace of mind on the road. But should anything go wrong, paying attention to one’s car’s gauges when driving is key to prevent any breakdowns or accidents.
“When there’s something wrong in a car, the gauges will flash to indicate the problem to give people time to act on it. But some people normally ignore this and drive on until they reach their destination,” Alex Alexander, who owns a car repair shop in Dubai, told Gulf News.
Rizwan Rehmad Ali, who has been working with cars for two decades, told Gulf News it is very rare for a moving car to suddenly stop in the middle of the road due to engine failure. Hence all cars that break down — either due to a mechanical failure or a tyre problem — should be driven to the hard shoulder at all costs for road users’ safety.
