Abu Dhabi: National Ambulance on Wednesday said it has raised its emergency preparedness level and taken necessary steps to respond to emergencies arising from the dense fog that has been covering large parts of the country over the last few days, resulting in poor visibility on many roads and highways in the early-morning hours.
With fog being a major factor behind road accidents, National Ambulance has urged motorists to be extra cautious and stay focused while driving under foggy conditions. The pre-hospital emergency care provider has also stressed the importance of checking the weather forecast and traffic movement, as well as ensuring the vehicle’s readiness and safety before driving.
Ahmad Al Hajeri, the National Ambulance CEO, said that the ambulance service has activated its emergency fog deployment plan, which involves redistribution of ambulance points and dynamic standbys to increase its presence on the main and vital roads, as well as ensure close coordination with strategic partners to ensure public safety and an efficient integrated response to potential accidents.
Al Hajeri said: “Fog represents a serious hazard to all road users in the UAE. Failing to drive safely during foggy conditions usually results in consequences that can threaten road users’ safety and endanger lives. So I urge all road users to support collaborative efforts to ensure safety on the roads by both, acting responsibly and being extra cautious when driving in such conditions.” He added that there are steps that motorists can take to ensure safe driving if they must drive in foggy conditions.
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These measures are:
Be extra cautious and stay focused on the road.
Put away all distractions and abide by traffic rules.
Slow down while driving and allow extra time to reach your destination.
Avoid using high-beam headlights in fog and turn on your low-beam or fog lamps instead to help other drivers see you.
Do not drive with your hazard lights on.
Keep a more-than-usual safe distance with other vehicles.
Use the lines on the road as a guides.
Use windshield wipers and turn on front and rear window defroster to restore visibility.
Avoid overtaking other vehicles or sudden change of lanes and use indicators ahead of time before changing lanes.
Never stop in the middle of the road and in the event of thick fog or inability to continue driving. Find a safe place to park, away from the road and traffic.
Ensure your vehicle is regularly maintained.
National Ambulance provides emergency pre-hospital care in the Northern Emirates through the dedicated 998 emergency ambulance number and the NA 998 mobile application. Its primary task is to handle public medical emergency response and provide high standards of emergency pre-hospital care to Emiratis, residents and visitors across Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah.
