Pick-up truck left chaos in its wake

Waiting at a traffic signal on Hamdan Street, in Abu Dhabi, the last thing I expected to see was chaos. The culprit was a pick-up truck carrying more sacks of flour than it could handle.

It was about 12.30pm on a Monday morning, and when the signal turned green, many vehicles were ready to go. However, the pick-up truck roared over the speed bump at the green light and left a dangerous trail of flour bags in its wake.

I witnessed the sight and took photographs with my mobile phone. I could hear a terrible sound of vehicles braking and careering out of the way. As the bags fell off the truck, the vehicles directly behind had to swerve into the next lane. Some moved left, others right and still others hit the brakes. Everyone had their hands firmly pressed on their car horns!

The amazing thing is that the pick-up truck driver just kept going. He was not aware of the damage he had caused, despite the fact that many motorists flashed their headlights at him, indicating him to stop. I passed by the area again later in the day and saw the bags of flour were still there, albeit they had been moved to the side of the road. A pedestrian, police officer or motorist may have been responsible for it. One thing is for sure – it wasn't the pick-up driver!

Such incidents bring to light serious issues about road safety. Companies must take necessary precautions and ensure that the items they are transporting are strapped carefully onto vehicles. Additionally, the authorities must follow up on such incidents and ensure they are not repeated.

During such occurrences, it is just as vital for the common man to alert the right authorities. How else will they know such instances have taken place? It would also help if one was able to catch the attention of the driver responsible for transporting material.

Pointing out such factors before a disaster occurs could help save lives.

The reader is an assistant sales manager based in Abu Dhabi.

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