Dubai: Police have seized a four-wheel drive for its deadly modifications that could have led to the car’s fuel tank exploding, said a top police official.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police Traffic Department, told Gulf News that support police patrols seized the modified vehicle used for illegal racing.
The driver was followed and stopped by the support police patrols on Tripoli Road on the way to Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road near Al Warqa roundabout while the driver was driving at 260 km/h.
The car was speeding on the road heading to the University City in Al Aweer going to Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road.
Maj Gen Al Zafein said the driver was stopped for racing which put him and other road users at risk.
“The motorist was stopped after he was speeding to the point that the airbag opened due to the high speed of the car,” he said.
Upon inspection, police found that the car was completely modified.
Some of the modifications included a jet fuel tank, a speed enhancer, a computer used to switch the speed enhancer on and off, in addition to massive changes to the vehicle’s body and engine, all intended to enhance the four-wheel drive’s speed up to 350km/h.
Reckless driving
The registration of the vehicle has also expired and it was seized following Dubai Police’s decision to intensify monitoring of reckless driving, said the police official.
He added that police will seize vehicles that cause disturbances.
The driver said that he never drove his 4X4 inside the city.
The vehicle was towed by a police tow vehicle and the case is being referred to the traffic prosecution with charges of reckless driving, unlawful car modifications and expired registration.
Al Zafein said that the vehicle was modified in a very dangerous way that could have caused it to explode immediately if it was involved in a minor traffic accident such as hitting another car from the back. “The vehicle would explode, killing the driver, passengers and people on the road.”
Bassma Al Jandaly is the Community and Crime Correspondent
