UAE street racing: Despite warnings, youths continue reckless behaviour

Fujairah/UAQ/RAK - A few days back, the Fujairah Misdemeanour Court ordered two young Arab men to pay a fine of Dh6,500 after being convicted of racing on a public road.

Street racing, mostly by young reckless motorists, continue to cause grave hazard on UAE roads, despite stiff warnings, campaigns and punitive action.

A few days back, the Fujairah Misdemeanour Court ordered two young Arab men to pay a fine of Dh6,500 after being convicted of racing on a public road and driving their vehicles in a risky way.

The police and prosecution investigations revealed that the first suspect was heading from Al Saif roundabout to the KM roundabout at a high speed on the right lane of the road.

“He suddenly lost control over the steering wheel, hit the sidewalk, veered off the road, and rammed into another car that was also found to be speeding. The crash damaged two wayside shops,” the probe indicated.

The first suspect was referred to the court where he admitted to reckless driving, but denied the racing charge.

“I was driving my car when I suddenly hit the second suspect for no clear reason; I don’t know how the collision happened,” he claimed. “I do not know who is responsible for damaging my car, the second suspect's vehicle, part of the sidewalk, and two nearby shops.”

He added that the accident took place when he slammed the brakes, but he refused to admit that he was driving in a dangerous way that poses a grave risk to others.

Meanwhile, the second suspect argued that he was driving his car on the left lane when the accident happened, all of a sudden. “I have no clue how the collision occurred,” he pointed out. “I was heading home when the first suspect hit my car, causing the reported damage.”

The court turned down the claims of the two suspects, confronting them with a video footage recorded by the police road surveillance cameras that showed them both racing on the public road.

The court ordered the first suspect to pay a fine of Dh3,500, while the second was slapped a Dh2,900 penalty.

The same court, in August 2020, had asked an Arab motorist to pay a fine of Dh1,000 for racing, illegally modifying his car without permission, and escaping from a traffic patrol.

The traffic and patrols department of the Ras Al Khaimah Police in April 2019 nabbed a young reckless motorist driving at a speed of 264km/hr on one of the emirate’s roads.

Col Ahmad Al Sam Al Naqbi, director of the traffic and patrols department, RAK Police, said the careless driver was one of the six caught speeding by the fixed and mobile radars deployed across all roads and highways of the emirate.

“A 17-year-old Emirati teenager succumbed to injuries he received after the car his friend was driving and performing road stunts with flipped over several times.”

Col Saeed Obaid Bin Aran, director of traffic and patrols department of the Umm Al Quwain Police, said they nabbed a young motorist driving at a speed of 225km/hr. “The driver, caught by a speed camera, was driving on the Sheikh Zayed Road in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain.”

Studies show that young drivers are mostly involved in speeding, which has been reported as one of the main reasons behind fatal road accidents. More radars, fixed and mobile, have been deployed along the roads of the emirate to curb speeding drivers.

In May 2020, traffic departments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai launched an awareness campaign about racing after a horrific traffic accident in Al Ain that left four people dead.

Moheb Abdul Ghani, an Arabic teacher, said many young people have lost their lives because of speeding. “Those reckless drivers turn deaf ears to rules, fines, and even lives, causing serious harm to others.”

Sherif Al Wakeel, a contractor, said his car was once hit by a speeding driver in an SUV. “But he didn't stop driving at a frantic speed."

Ahmad Mehana, a business owner, said he is fed up of racing drivers. “They mostly tend to go racing at late hours while the roads are empty, disturbing sleeping people, patients, and children.”

reporters@khaleejtimes.com