Car ploughs into UAE phone shop as driver steps on wrong pedal

The Emirati motorist created panic when her vehicle smashed into the store in Umm Al Quwain

The phone shop was boarded up on Monday after a woman drove her car through the glass window. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A driver ploughed into a shop window in Umm Al Quwain on Sunday.

The Emirati woman, 19, stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and drove into the HiPhone Telecom store.

Local police said the accident happened at about 10am.

"She hit a post and then crashed into the shop's front window," Major Sayah Abdullah from Al Salamah police station told The National.

A photo showed the glass frontage and pillar had been smashed and cracked, with debris lying inside.

Yaser Ataalmanan, a 45-year-old Sudanese salesman, said the accident was a close call.

“We were at the counter and thank God no one was near the door,” he said.

“She was about to park her Lexus in front of the shop when she stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brakes and drove towards the shop.

“The front pillars prevented the car from going inside the shop and protected us. I’ve been working with this company for around 17 years and this is the first time I’ve witnessed such thing.

“It will need lots of work and time to fix the damage but we started working on it.”

Police urged motorists to pay attention while driving and to focus on the road. They did not state whether the driver would face any punishment.