Driver loses control of car at 140kmph in UAE as cruise control fails

Ras Al Khaimah - Here's how the cops saved the Emirati.

An Emirati motorist - who was driving on cruise control at a speed of 140kmph - panicked when he realised that his brakes suddenly stopped working. He didn't know what to do until the Ras Al Khaimah Police came to his rescue.
Also read: Cruise control fails at 140kmph in Dubai; here's how cops saved the driver
"I thought that was the end for me as I lost control over the speeding car," said the Ras Al Khaimah resident who was driving along the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road on Monday night.
"When I noticed that the brakes were malfunctioning, I tried hard to put the transition stick on neutral position, or even stop the car, but nothing worked."
Also read: What to do if your car's cruise control fails? UAE police offer tips
Shocked and terrified, the driver dialled 999 and sought help from the RAK Police, who calmed him down over the phone and told him what to do.
Col Ahmed Al Sam Al Naqbi, director of the traffic and patrols department, RAK Police, said a team of police patrols rushed to the location, "exactly at Exit 129, and guided him on the highway until he reached a safe destination".
Patrol cars flanked the moving vehicle and cleared the road ahead, he said.
"The police patrol drove in front of the speeding SUV and tried to slow it down by making a slight contact, but this didn't bring the car to a halt," Col Al Naqbi said.
"It was only when one of the police patrols bumped the car from behind that the brakes and the cruise control started working properly again, and the car was safely stopped off the road."
Recently, cops in Umm Al Quwain also managed to rescue an Emirati woman after the cruise control of her 4WD failed as it was moving at a high speed on the same road. A similar rescue scenario happened when 15 traffic patrols of the Abu Dhabi Police had to bring an SUV to a halt after its cruise control got stuck at 130kmph on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah