Drunk driver gets fine

Ras Al Khaimah: A Filipino was on Thursday ordered to pay a Dh21,000 fine for causing a road accident while under the influence of alcohol and fleeing the scene.

A senior Traffic Court official said the 45-year-old Filipino, identified as R.W., was driving his car on Kuzzam's main road moving from one lane to the other when he hit another car, driven by a 30-year-old Syrian national identified as N.H.

The official said no casualties were reported in the accident but the Filipino fled the scene.

Several people on the street registered the plate number of the fleeing car and submitted it to the police patrols which arrived at the scene. Police circulated the car plate number as "wanted" and in a short while the owner of the car was detained.

During police investigations with the car owner, he said he had lent his vehicle to his friend and said he was not driving the car when the accident took place.

The owner revealed the name of his friend to police investigators who arrested him. The Filipino was referred to Saqr Hospital to undergo an alcohol test which proved positive.