No major accidents have been reported by law enforcement officials despite the thick fog that had covered most of the country.
According to a live TomTom Traffic Flow map of Dubai, most roads were fairly clear, with optimal or good driving conditions. Areas of major slowdowns included the usual stretches of busy roads, including:
-E11 from Sharjah Ring Road and Al Nahdah Street and is feeder streets
-E311 from Al Dhaid Road to Al Rebat Street and its feeder roads
- In Ajman, there were slowdowns on Al Ittihad Road, between Ajman Ring Road and Sheikh Zayed Road
In Abu Dhabi, traffic was moving slower on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street, between Sheikh Zayed Bridge and Rabdan Street.
Thomas Edelmann, managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, share safety tips and warned drivers to drive carefully.
"Driving in bad weather in the UAE is often linked to fog, rain or sand storms with low visibility and slippery road surfaces being the common denominators,” said Mr Edelmann. “Every year, we suffer pile-ups which are typically chain reactions: One accident occurs, sometimes just a small fender bender, and following motorists cannot avoid colliding with obstacles in front of them, due to the lack of proper distance, lack of attention or too high speeds. Motorists need to be extra alert, keep the proper distance to the vehicle in front and adjust their speed accordingly.”
Mr Edelmann offered these safety tips”
-Increase the distance to the vehicle in front to five seconds – you must be able to stop within the distance of visibility
-Turn on the lights: low beam headlights, front and rear fog lights (no hazard lights!)
- Consider longer braking distances due to wet or slippery road surface
-Use your windscreen wipers (and maintain them properly)
-Concentrate and do not get distracted by your passengers, your phone or other things
-Listen to the radio for traffic updates
-Care for others, especially for weaker traffic participants like motorcycle drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians
-Ask your passengers to help keep an eye out for oncoming cars and obstacles on the road
-Stay in your lane and don’t drift – there’s a natural tendency to wander into the middle of the road when visibility gets bad.
-Use the right edge of the road as a guide – this can help you avoid running into oncoming traffic or being blinded by oncoming headlights.
-If you have no visibility, pull over to the side of the road, stop and turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers of where you are, or pull into petrol stations or rest areas.
-Plan your trip properly and leave earlier or try not to be on the road at all, if possible.
- Do not use hazard lights (they are meant for standing cars in case of an emergency)
- Do not use rear fog lights during normal visibility, since they can blind following drivers and rear fog lights can over-power your break lights, hence following drivers might not see you breaking