Abu Dhabi police to give away 103,000 Iftar meals during Ramadan

Iftar meals will also be distributed to individuals arriving and departing through the Al Ain and Al Ghuwaifat border ports.

A dates seller is setting his display at Sharjah Fruit and Vegetable market as a part of Ramadan preparations in Sharjah. –M Sajjad

Abu Dhabi - The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters (GHQ) will distribute 103,000 Iftar meals to motorists travelling on the internal and external road users in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western Region (Al Gharbia).

Iftar meals will also be distributed to individuals arriving and departing through the Al Ain and Al Ghuwaifat border ports. As a part of the “Ramadan Safety 4” initiative organised by the Al Ihsan Charity Association to help reduce the traffic accidents during the holy month, the meals will be distributed before the Maghrib prayer.

This humanitarian gesture aims to revive the values of solidarity amongst community members during the holy month of Ramadan, which is characterised by its atmosphere of worship and faith, enlightenment, and noble values.

Brigadier Khalifa Mohammed Al Khaili, Head of the Traffic and Road Safety Engineering in the Directorate, said the directorate and Al Ihsan Charity Association jointly agreed to distribute 103,000 Iftar meals in Abu Dhabi throughout the holy month as follows: 51,000 meals in Abu Dhabi; 30,000 meals in Al Ain; and 22,500 meals in the Western Region. He urged motorists, especially those who are driving around the time of sunset, to drive carefully and to not to speed in order to arrive to their destination before the time of Iftar.

He additionally called upon all motorists to fasten their seatbelts, avoid using cell phones while driving, to pay attention to traffic signals, not to jump red lights, use the indicators of the vehicle, and to be mindful before turning to the left or to the right.

“Should those who are fasting feel tired while driving, they should immediately pull their vehicle over to the road shoulder,” he said. “This is especially necessary during the month of Ramadan and for those with high blood pressure or diabetes, where the attention levels of drivers tend to decrease due to the physical changes that occur in the body as a result of fasting.”

Trucks banned

According to Al Khaili, the directorate has decided to ban the entry of trucks weighing more than 2.5 tonnes from entering the Capital during the peak hours of Ramadan.

“Trucks of this size are banned from entering between the hours of 8am and 10am, and between 1:30pm and 3:30pm in order to provide a smooth flow of traffic,” he said.

“The working hours of the customer service centers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region have been revised. The centres will be working from 8am until 6pm daily, Sunday through Thursday, ” he said.

 He mentioned the directorate has prepared awareness booklets for the holy month, which will be distributed to motorists through field awareness campaigns.

With participation from the “Tathqeef” awareness patrols, the educational campaign will be held in high-traffic areas, such as mosques and markets following the Isha prayer time. He urged the public not to park their vehicles haphazardly during the Taraweeh prayers and to avoid blocking entrances or other vehicles by parking directly behind them.  — 

• UAE