14 injured in 35-car pile-up in Dubai

A 35-car pile-up caused by the fog on Dubai Bypass Road on Tuesday morning resulted in three moderate and 11 simple injuries and left two cars burnt and 10 severely damaged, according to Dubai Police. Brigadier Omar Abdullah Al Shamsi, Director of the Control Centre in Dubai Police’s Operations Room, said that the pile-up resulted due to motorists' speeding, failing to leave a safe distance between cars and reckless driving in this adverse weather condition. The fog on Monday caused five severe accidents, two moderate ones and 47 minor accidents resulted in several injuries. The control room received over 418 calls from 5am until 8am on Tuesday, while 391 calls were received during the same period on Monday, Brig Al Shamsi said. He urged drivers to take caution while driving in fog, which mostly occurs between midnight and early morning, and not to use their hazard lights except to alert other drivers that there’s an accident. Motorists should stop outside the road in case of extremely low visibility, and avoid stopping on the road or the hard shoulder as it may cause other cars to crash into them, he added. They should also use the dipped light because high beams reflect on the water drops in the fog and reduce visibility. Keeping a safe distance is of extreme importance during adverse weather conditions to allow a driver to control his car in case of sudden stop, he said, adding that it is best to check the weather forecast before embarking to be prepared for any surprises on the road. Brig Al Shamsi urged residents to call the emergency number 999 only in urgent cases and to use the number 901 instead for any questions or information.