Rain causes hundreds of accidents across the UAE

Most of the roads were slippery and visibility was low during the rain on Sunday.

Wet weather conditions caused hundreds of traffic accidents across the country during last the three days, officials revealed on Monday.
In Dubai, 479 traffic accidents were reported just in less than 24 hours. Major Mohamed Juma Aman, director of the control room at the general department of operations at Dubai Police, said the accidents were reported on Sunday between 2am and 10pm from various areas of the emirate and the control room received a total of 5,268 distress calls.
He said that the Dubai Police are patrolling roads to prevent congestions, organise traffic and intervene in case of an emergency.
In Ajman, more than 400 accidents were reported from Friday to Sunday due to rain.
All these accidents were occurred due to traffic violations by motorists, he said, adding that many of the drivers were speeding without considering the wet roads. Failure to maintain enough space between vehicles, entering roads without ensuring safety and lane violations caused most of the accidents, said Col Al Nuaimi. Some other accidents were caused by motor bike riders, who failed to use their designated lanes.
Besides a number of minor accidents, two serious accidents were reported in Sharjah due to the weather condition, causing serious injuries to two Pakistanis. 
First serious accident occurred on Sunday when a pickup crashed with heavy truck at the 7th intersection near Al Arahmaniya Tunnel on Al Dhaid Road. The accident caused serious injuries to a Pakistani national who was driving the pickup. The driver was rushed to Kuwaiti Hospital.
The second accident happened on the same day at 7.30pm when four cars crashed into each other on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road near the third intersection towards Al Homah Bridge. The accident caused moderate injuries to another Pakistani national. The injured was rushed to the Kuwaiti Hospital by the national ambulance.
Major Mohamed Juma Aman said drivers should abide by traffic rules to make driving safer. "Fog and rain cause poor visibility and thus the chances of accidents are high. People should ensure that the windshields and lights of their vehicles are clear and the signals are in working condition. For the safety of themselves and others, motorists should leave enough space between vehicles, avoid speeding and unnecessary lane changes."
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com