Sunday, August 17, 2008

Multiple crash on Al Ain highway

Gulf News report is already blaming the weather: Thick fog and poor visibility over Dubai was the cause of two other major accidents... so I'm sure the official announcements will exonerate the drivers and blame the fog for all the crashes.

Yesterday seventeen cars crashed on the Al Ain highway, many people were injured, thankfully no deaths were reported from this disaster.

A taxi "drifted off the road because of the low visibility and foggy conditions and bumped into a barrier on the road" and sixteen other cars crashed into one another.

See, the taxi driver didn't drift off the road because he was driving without due care and attention. He drifted off because of the fog.

And I suppose the other sixteen cars didn't crash into each other because the drivers were doing the wrong thing, it was because of the low visibility.

Looking at the photographs would you think that maybe, just maybe, some speed inappropriate to the conditions might have been involved?






Photos: Gulf News

There were other crashes too, with sadly another person added to the death statistics.

On Sheikh Zayed Road a four car crash resulted in serious injuries and two trucks collided, the driver of one died later in hospital.

And it's all the fault of the weather.





Gulf News have the report here.

5 comments:

ahirunopekkles said...

people drive cars way too fast here in dubai, and most drivers are impatient. have you noticed on a red light stop...as soon as the light turns green...somebody from the back..will definitely honk a horn...like its automatic.

Anonymous said...

Further proof that the majority of drivers have learnt little from the multiple pile-up in March at Ghantoot....

but don't I remember something about Police launching a 'massive campaign' to stop similar pile-ups??? Just like every other reactive measure that is never implemented by the UAE;s finest.....

i*maginate said...

Photographs and news are something, but when one has been in accident, similar to the pics portrayed, injuries hurt, and justice often fails to prevail.

Anonymous said...

It's simple... don't tailgate. That will go a long way towards avoiding accidents. If you tailgate you are a loser nad you place no value on your own life or those of others.

How many times do I have people tailgating me with 1 inch at 100Km/h. You asking for trouble doing this in the fog! Ask anyone how many seconds of gap you should leave in front of your car, according to the speed you are doing, guarantee you not many, if any will know. Basic stuff we learn in the west, we learn from our parents driving and teaching us these things. Leave a safety gap, simple. You will not get to your destination any faster by NOT leaving a gap?

It's the insane mentality and impatience of some people. They need to chill, so what if you don't get home 2 mins earlier, only to waste the time watching TV. Driving is not a game, to beat everyone else, it's just a means of transport from A to B, and doing it safely as roads are a shared medium, not the sole domain of any single driver to drive as they wish any way they want. You are responsible for everyone's safety when on the road. Driving is not a right, it's a privilege, that far too many do not deserve.

Anonymous said...

Yep, what a "crack down" the police has achieved... what has changed? Nothing. Well, actually it seems that the number of accidents is increasing, and after living and driving in Dubai for the past 10 years, this summer I have noticed a steep increase in aggressive driving. I understand that we're all under stress from traffic, high living costs, and of course the heat. But that doesn't justify using your car as a 2-tonne weapon! On Monday, another big crash, this time near Abu Dhabi with 19 injured and yet another life lost: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10238154.html