Umm Al Quwain: A quick-thinking driver whose vehicle’s cruise control got stuck avoided serious calamity with the help of police who intervened with safety-stop measures to halt her car on the highway.
Traffic police saved the life of the Emirati woman whose vehicle’s cruise control failed while she was driving on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road en route to Ras Al Khaimah, police said on Friday.
Police received a call from a motorist at 10.20pm on Thursday, saying her cruise control had failed and she could not reduce her speed.
The motorist said her vehicle kept moving at the same speed even after shifting the gears to neutral.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sultan Abdullah Bin Yokha, head of operations at Umm Al Quwain Police, said police rushed to the road section and tried to keep other motorists away from the vehicle.
Police contacted the driver over the phone and gave her instructions to control the vehicle.
She was told to put her hazard lights on, keep the vehicle in neutral and to hold the steering wheel firmly.
An officer in a police patrol car then drove in front of the vehicle before using his brakes to slow the wayward car to a gradual stop.
The vehicle then stopped on the side of the road and the motorists was provided with necessary first aid.
Police said the operation was successful and the motorist was saved unharmed as she followed the police instructions.
