There have been a series of school fires in the country in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson
The crackdown on riders of the quad bikes will continue extensively during the holy month of Ramadan, for riders often take to the streets before and after Iftar, and keep endangering their lives and others till 2am, said Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafeeb, Director of the Traffic Department.
He expressed regret over the ignorance of parents and guardians of the young riders to the danger of using such bikes.
He said parents buy quad bikes for their kids as a reward for passing school exams, unaware that such an initiative would lead in the end to a real tragedy. Elaborating, he said no technical specifications are available for these bikes.
Riding of quad bikes during Ramadan last year had resulted in 19 accidents; in which 20 children were hurt. Of the injured, a child was killed, three were seriously injured, nine sustained moderate injuries, and 7 got light injuries, he recalled.
More than 30 police officers are roaming about the streets round the clock at the head of patrols to seize and confiscate these bikes, which are not meant for riding on the streets, but in open space or in the desert, Brigadier Zafeen said.
Two quad bikes were seized and confiscated on the first day since the campaign was launched, compared with 27 quad bikes being confiscated on the same month last year, he recalled.
Children riding quad bikes pose a threat to others and endanger their own lives, as they are not committed to ride in traffic lanes nor do they adhere to traffic signals, he noted.
The places designated for the use of quad bikes are parks and farms and not the main streets. In reply to a question on traffic congestion on Dubai roads, Brigadier Al Zafeen, who is a road expert engineer said setting different timings for different departments and companies at half-hour gaps will result in lessening the traffic jams at peak hours in the morning and evening and at all times.
The most important part of the traffic congestion, which has been said quite often is that these roads which were constructed thirty years ago cannot take in the present vehicular traffic, because there is no compatibility between the traffic lanes, a matter which was not considered in the past.
There have been a series of school fires in the country in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson
Salama Alfalacy is into realistic art featuring landscapes and wildlife, while Meera Jamal Al Midfa is setting new grounds in performance art and filmmaking
Dubai Police have asked drivers to be extra cautious
The storm had already claimed the lives of at least two people in China's Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines
Dubai Police have asked drivers to be extra cautious
The former all-rounder has returned to cricket during the past year after a horrific car crash at the end of 2022
Dubai Police have asked drivers to be extra cautious
The country has set a new Guinness World Record by creating the largest falcon hood, beating the previous record of 1.65 metres