Two people killed as UAE police deal with more than 1,000 road crashes during Eid Al Fitr

Police also received more than 50,000 calls across Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah during holiday period

Police were called out to more than 1,000 road crashes across three emirates during Eid Al Fitr. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Two people were killed and police were called out to more than 1,000 road crashes across Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah during Eid Al Fitr.

Police in Dubai responded to more than 900 incidents in just three days and also fielded nearly 27,000 calls to the public on both emergency and non-emergency numbers.

Sharjah Police said that two people lost their lives and another nine suffered moderate to severe injuries as a total of 11 road incidents were recorded in the emirate from June 13 to 17.

Police also received more than 24,000 calls, covering criminal, traffic, emergency and non-emergency cases, over the same four days.

Police in Ras Al Khaimah dealt with 287 crashes and also received 4,832 reports – on everything from requests for assistance and various inquiries – during the break.

RAK Police said the number of road crashes was down by 40 per cent on the number recorded in the same period the previous year.

The number in Dubai also fell from 1,300 during last year's Eid Al Fitr holiday to 905 this year.

Excessive speed and improper passing of pedestrians were cited as the causes of the two fatalities in Sharjah, police said.

“The first death occurred when the driver lost control over the wheel due to excessive speed and colliding into a shop wall, while the second death took place at Emirates Road after a pedestrian decided to cross the six-lane road from a non-designated area,” said Colonel Dr Ahmad Al Naour, acting director-general of Sharjah Police central operations.

Brig Gen Salem Al Suwaidi, of RAK Police, said a number of initiatives had been put in place to improve safety – but he said here are "always" drivers whose behaviour leads to death and injury on the road.

“The Traffic Department has developed an intensive traffic plan to organise the traffic during Eid Al Fitr through increasing the number of patrols on all roads, intersections, markets, parks and places of family gatherings to provide the maximum security and safety for all and provide assistance and support if needed,” Brig Gen Al Suwaidi said.

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“However, there is always a category that insists on behaving in a way that leads to fatal accidents and injuries,” he said.

Dubai Police said excessive speeding, drivers failing to keep a safe distance between other vehicles and being distracted on the road were the main causes of incidents.

“Some 905 traffic accidents occurred across Dubai during Eid Al Fitr. Over-speeding, failing to leave a safe distance between vehicles and being distracted on the roads are among the main causes of traffic accidents,” said Col Turki bin Faris, director of the Command and Control Department of Dubai Police.

Col Bin Faris said some of the accidents that took place during Eid Al Fitr were moderate to minor.

“The events security committee came up with a comprehensive traffic plan, which led to reducing traffic jams during the holiday,” he added.

Col Bin Faris has urged to public to only contact 999 for emergencies and to call 901 to inquire about services provided by the police after a huge increase in the volume of calls.