21,000 Dubai motorists caught driving on hard shoulder

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: 21,000 Dubai motorists caught driving on hard shoulder More than 21,000 motorists have been caught driving down the hard shoulder in Dubai in just six months. Dubai Police’s specialist hard shoulder cameras have snared 90 drivers a day on average between their introduction in March and the end of October, officers said on Tuesday. The mobile traps catch drivers that stray into the emergency lane on the outside or the central reservation on the inside. Col Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the traffic depart­ment, said despite the threat of a Dhs600 fine and six black points, not to mention risking their lives and those of other road users, drivers continue to flout the law. “Imagine you have problem with your vehicle. You stop on the hard shoulder to fix the car and you lose your life to some crazy motorist speeding along,” he said. “Hard shoulders are only for emergency situations.” He added: “This figure shows motorists are still committing this offence, despite the penalties. Either they don’t know it’s an offence or maybe they just ignore it.” Mazroui said Mohamed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road were among those that had seen the most number of offences, particularly at rush hour. He added: “It’s not just being on the hard shoulder but the high speed they drive along it – they could even hit emergency vehicles using it.” RELATED: #Roadsmart: It’s for emergencies only – not an extra lane! Among the accidents seen in recent months was near Global Village on Mohamed bin Zayed Road in June. A Pakistani bus driver had parked on the hard shoulder to check his tyre when a lorry cutting down the lane ran over and killed him. In a second incident in July, Dubai Police Sergeant Saleh Musaad was killed after he stopped on a hard shoulder to help a woman whose vehicle had broken down on Hessa Street and was struck by a pick-up truck. Mazroui added: “These offences are very high in Dubai, looking at the stats, and show some people don’t care about the risks.” One driver, Khalid Al Zarouni, a 28-year-old Emirati, admitted he used to use the hard shoulder but stopped after getting caught by one of the cameras. He added: “I was driving on the hard shoulder on Mohamed bin Zayed Road at 8pm and because of the traffic I used the hard shoulder. I was fined and given black points on my licence. I haven’t done it since.” ali.shouk@7days.ae Read the original story at: 21,000 Dubai motorists caught driving on hard shoulder