Abu Dhabi: A total of 25 people sustained injuries in three accidents involving 55 vehicles due to heavy fog on Tuesday morning in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, police said.
Among the injured, 18 motorists received minor injuries in the accident on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway, while two persons were seriously injured and two others sustained major injuries. In the other two accidents involving 11 vehicles, which happened in Al Ain, three persons were injured.
The first accident occurred at 8.08am on the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Road (E311) after Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) Bridge in Al Samha area on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway due to thick fog, low visibility, tailgating, speeding and ignoring the road traffic rules, the police said.
Soon after the accident, the police urged motorists to use alternative routes and the traffic was diverted towards Al Samha Bridge on Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Road (E11).
Brigadier Khalifa Mohammad Al Khaili, director of Road Traffic Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police, said police ambulances, rescue and recovery vehicles were dispatched to the scene immediately and affected vehicles were removed from the road.
After the accident, the police stopped the movement of trucks and buses till the fog cleared, Brigadier Al Khaili said.
The police’s social media wing sent warning messages and urged motorists to take alternative routes, reduce their speed and leave sufficient distance between vehicles, he said.
Brigadier Al Khaili reiterated that motorists should adhere to the road traffic rules, avoid overtaking and reduce their speed in foggy conditions.
The police asked motorists not to use hazards lights during fog until they stop their vehicles in a safe designated parking spot outside the road.
Heavy vehicles
Police urged drivers of heavy vehicles, including trucks, to stop their vehicles during peak traffic hours in the morning and evening on all major roads of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
They should stop taking to the roads from 6.30am to 9am, and from 3pm to 6pm.
Al Ain crashes
In Al Ain, three motorists sustained minor to moderate injuries in two different accidents due to heavy fog in the morning, police said.
The first accident occurred in Al Heer region in the Al Ain city direction at 8am invloving five vehicles, in which one person received minor injuries. The other accident involving six vehicles happened in Al Ain city, in which two persons received moderate injuries.
All injured people were shifted to hospitals.
Colonel Ahmad Mohammad Al Zyodi, director of the Traffic Department in Al Ain, urged motorists to exercise caution during unstable weather conditions, avoid tailgating and stop their cars in safe zones until the visibility improves.
HOW TO DRIVE SAFELY IN FOG
Do…
• Use dipped headlights along with front fog lights if your car has them. Fog lights emit low, narrow vertical pattern (and wide lateral spread) of light.
• Keep the inside of your windshield and windows free of ‘misting’ by keeping the air-conditioner switched ‘on’, and your airflow set to ‘demist’.
• Watch for other drivers not using their headlights.
• Maintain a greater distance between you and the car in front.
• Moderate your speed so that you can stop within the distance you can see clearly, especially on highways and dual carriageways
• Check your mirrors before you slow down.
Don’t…
• Make your journey unless it is absolutely necessary. Wait for visibility to improve.
• Use hazard (flashing) lights while driving in fog and sandstorms as this will confuse others. Only use them if you have had a breakdown or accident.
• Accelerate to get away from a vehicle that is too close behind you.
Follow the three-second rule
Choose a fixed point that is even with the car in front of you. This can be a road sign or a lamp post. As soon as the car ahead of you drives past that fixed point, count one to three seconds and if you reach that same fixed point before you can count to three, that means you do not have a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you.
What to do in a collision
If your vehicle is operational and there is a hard shoulder on the road, park your vehicle there and switch on your hazard light. Stay off the main road as you wait for emergency personnel.
