Increasing numbers of traffic accidents are being reported during Ramadan, with as many as 50 being handled every day by Sharjah Police.
Traffic officers have said accident figures are peaking just before the evening meal of iftar, when people are tired, hungry and in a rush to get home.
The sudden rise in reckless driving has led to a special police appeal for motorists to respect the spirit of Ramadan one of patience and calm.
"At the moment, many people are being reckless and hot-headed, and it is costing lives," a police spokesman said.
"Unfortunately, this happens every Ramadan because people start speeding even more than usual and sometimes do not concentrate when they drive.
"Motorists should be careful at this time of year, just like they always should. They should not be in a hurry. Instead, they should leave their workplace a little bit earlier so they reach home at iftar. And if they do drive sensibly and arrive late, this is much better than dying on the way home."
Many of the reported accidents are minor, but an estimated three per day are serious or fatal, said a source from Al Qasimi Hospital.
A little more than a week ago, the problem was brought home when three generations from the same UAE national family died in an accident on Al Mailaha Road. They were a 32-year-old woman, her four-year-old daughter and her 52-year-old mother.
The death toll from just three days on the roads around Sharjah is as follows:
- October 23 Khalid Abdullah Al Shamsi, 19, UAE national, died in Al Khazna in Sharjah.
- October 25 A Yemeni man, Marwan Saleh Ali, 23, died in an accident at 4.40 pm on Al Bidiah Road when he was driving for iftar.
- October 25 Haroon Abu Sufiyan, 20, a Pakistani, sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident.
- October 25 Shafeeq Shahed Aalam, 20, a Bangladeshi, sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident.
