Fog blamed for 140 crashes on Dubai roads as weather warnings renewed

Motorists placed 900 phone calls to the police central operations room as fog rolled into the UAE between 3am and 9am yesterday. Drivers again urged to 'remain vigilant'.

A view of Dubai Marina on Sunday morning as fog rolled in. Picture courtesy Media One Hotel.

ABU DHABI // Dubai Police responded to 140 car crashes in the space of six hours as a result of yesterday's fog.

Brig Gen Omar Al Shamsi of the central operations department at Dubai Police said they received about 900 phone calls between 3am and 9am on Sunday.

He urged road users to remain vigilant during changing weather conditions, particularly while the country goes through a phase of changing weather, causing more fog.

Road crashes that happen in fog or rain are especially serious, the official told The National's Arabic-language sister paper, Al Ittihad, because low visibility compounds the errors caused by human negligence.

Motorists should switch on their low beams in the early hours of the morning and refrain from using their hazard lights, except in the event of an accident or to alert other motorists to unusual activity on the road.