(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Dubai Police again caught large numbers of dangerous drivers last weekend, with some admitting that they had organised a 500-kilometre road race along the Sharjah and Abu Dhabi road.
Director of the General Department of Traffic, Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin, said that despite continuous police warnings and patrols, the message to drive safely was not getting through. There were 154 car and bike seizures during the weekend after their drivers were caught racing and endangering people's lives in Al Warqa.
Last Saturday morning, at about 1.30am, the police stopped several cars racing each other along the Dubai Bypass road, after Al Roya Road, travelling towards Sharjah. The cars reached speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour in an 80kmh zone.
When they spotted the police they drove at a high speed violating traffic laws. The police arrested the first car driver, and could only record the number plates of the other drivers. The arrested driver told the police that the participants had coordinated the race over the phone.
He said the group, from both Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, had used similar cars and decided to race the 500-kilometres on a wide road, with all cars except one installed with a high speed device.
The race umpire from Dubai had his car sezied after the police tracked him down several days later, while other drivers have been charged with racing and escaping the police. Al Zafin said many of the 154 drivers whose vehicles were seized were caught performing stunts and tricks in front of the police patrols, while the effects of such driving blew up heavy dust, obscuring vision for other drivers.
The traffic police also attended to an accident in Al Warqa after a group of girls allegedly lost control over their vehicle after reportedly racing. On the same weekend, the police caught a group of masked youths who drove bikes that almost collided with a police patrol. The accident was averted when one of the driver's engines failed. The incident resulted in two policemen sustaining minor injuries; the offender was arrested a short time later. In another biking incident, two bikes collided in a sandy area as they raced along the hard shoulder resulting in one of them losing consciousness while two others who were accompanying him fled the scene.
Police said the horrific driving had led many members of the public questioning the police as to why youth are allowed to drive licensed bikes as they were endangering people's lives. All violators have been referred to Dubai Traffic Prosecution.
Police rescue girl trapped under bike in sandy area
The Dubai Police managed to rescue a 17-year-old girl trapped under a bike which overturned in a sandy area near the main road at the University City. The accident took place when an Asian lost control over his bike due to speeding.
The driver of the bike, accompanied by two girls, was driving recklessly on the hard shoulder towards Al Khawaneej Roundabout. As he was trying to take a U-turn, the bike overturned and one of the girls fell off the bike, said Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin. The incident took place on Tuesday at 9pm, he added.
He said the 17-year-old Iranian girl, H Ali, was injured as she was trapped under the bike. Rescue operations lasted for half an hour. The rescue team said the girl's injuries could be moderate and she was rushed to the hospital.
The other girl, Rasha, an Indian who is 16 years old, sustained minor injuries.
Al Zafin added that on weekends the Dubai police was patrolling the area to catch reckless drivers who race and perform various tricks on the road.
He said the Dubai Police had recently arrested a reckless driver driving his car on Tripoli road in Al Warqa area at 2.48am. A police patrol spotted the driver racing with other drivers and seized the car and took action against violators.
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