Fog continues across UAE, heavy traffic on key roads

Heavy fog affected visibility across the UAE on Thursday morning, prompting the authorities to reduce speed limit on some major roads.

The fog also caused huge tailbacks on Sharjah-Dubai roads. Motorists experienced heavy traffic on Al Ittihad Road and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road. The Sharjah Police urged drivers to take caution while driving in unstable weather conditions.

Earlier in the morning, the Abu Dhabi Police announced speed limit reduction on major roads from and towards the Capital to 80kmph. On its official Twitter page, the police said speed reduction system had been activated on Mohammed Bin Rashid road (Abu Dhabi - Dubai, Maktoum Bin Rashid road (Abu Dhabi – Dubai), AbuDhabi-Al Ain Road (Al Mafraq - Al Khaznah and Sweihan-Al Hiyar), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International road ( Al Nof-Al Mirfa ), Al Fayah Road (Truck Road) and Abu Dhabi - Sweihan road. By 7.50am, the police announced bringing the speed limits on Abu Dhabi roads back to normal.

Visibility has been reduced to minimum in different parts of the country, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah airports, the National Centre for Meteorolgy (NCM) alerted on social media.

The police also urged drivers to follow the instructions shown on smart boards installed on various roads. Through their social media handles, the Abu Dhabi Police asked drivers to be alert while driving on foggy weather condition.

The NCM said fog formation is spread across the UAE, from Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah.

Dh500 fine, 4 black points for traffic violation during fog

Drivers are urged to increase the distance between their vehicles and the one in front of them to avoid accidents and to never overtake/change lanes in low visibility conditions.

In the past, many traffic accidents resulted from the low visibility due to fog causing deaths and serious injuries.  “Motorists must stop their vehicles on the side, in case of zero visibility,” police said earlier.

The penalty for not adhering to safe driving instructions during fog is Dh500 and four black points, according to the Federal Traffic Law.

Tips for driving in bad weather

- Do not use hazard lights (they are meant for standing cars in case of an emergency)

- Do not use rear fog lights during normal visibility, since they can blind following drivers and rear fog lights can over-power your brake lights, hence following drivers might not see you braking

- Stay away from areas which are normally affected by bad weather like Wadis

- In case of rain, avoid low lying parts of the roads network like underpasses

• Abu Dhabi