Road shoulder accidents raise controversy among drivers about its use

Recently, accidents that occurred on the shoulder of the road sparked controversy among drivers about the controls for using it in emergency situations, as details of the accidents showed collisions between vehicles parked on the shoulder of the road and others coming from behind.

Abu Dhabi Police warned against driving on the shoulder of the road, overtaking it, or stopping the vehicle on it for any reason, stressing that it is designated for emergency vehicles.

The new Federal Traffic Law defines the “shoulder of the road” as a part of the road adjacent to the river of the road, prepared for emergency use.

He specified obligations for the driver, including: not to stop the vehicle in places where parking is prohibited, and if he is forced to stop it on the road, he must stay on the shoulder of the road on the right side of it, away from intersections, crossroads, slopes and turns, while taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of movement on the road, and not to leave the vehicle in the running position, and to ensure that it does not move during his absence, with its lighting in the period between sunset and sunrise and as required by the necessity of alerting others of its presence.

Finally, Abu Dhabi Police, in cooperation with the Monitoring and Control Center, broadcast video clips on its electronic platforms of accidents caused by standing on the shoulder of the road and being busy off-road, and readers interacted with these accidents, and with Abu Dhabi Police warning drivers against stopping on the shoulder of the road, asking about the correct behavior in the event of an emergency on the road that requires the driver to stop, such as a vehicle breakdown or a tire explosion.

Some of them held the drivers of vehicles crossing the shoulder of the road responsible for accidents who crossed the shoulder of the road and were not paying attention to the parked vehicles for an emergency reason, while others held responsibility for both parties, as they stressed that stopping the vehicle on the shoulder of the road constitutes a danger and increases the possibility of traffic accidents occurring.

A reader said that forced parking on the shoulder of the road due to a malfunction is possible and unavoidable, but transgressions that occur on the shoulder of the road cause accidents and violations as a result of recklessness, pointing out that “the problem lies in the overtaking and not the forced parking,” continuing that “the yellow line means emergency stopping, not emergency lane.”

Another called for tightening the penalty for overtaking from the shoulder of the road, especially when serious accidents occur, including raising the imposed fine and withdrawing the driver’s license. He pointed out that there are people who use the shoulder of the road to escape from congestion, and this causes fatal accidents. A reader suggested placing road barriers on the right side, after a sandy area, to enable drivers to park there safely if the emergency exit is far away.

Drivers confirmed that they repeatedly monitor illegal use of the shoulder of the road during peak traffic conditions, calling for the activation of surveillance cameras on the streets, and the recording of violations against non-compliant drivers, to reduce this phenomenon.

For its part, the Traffic and Security Patrols Directorate called on drivers to concentrate fully while driving, not to be distracted by anything other than the road, and not to stop on the shoulder of the road from the right or left, whether because of a tire failure or for any reason.

She called for heading to the nearest exit, to ensure the safety of road users, and in the event of the inability to move the vehicle, she urged calling the command and control center at 999 (operations room) to provide the necessary support to avoid the occurrence of serious and dangerous accidents and obstruction of traffic.

She called for adherence to safety procedures when a vehicle breaks down, which are to avoid staying inside the broken-down vehicle, stay away from the road, use places designated for emergency situations, avoid parking on the shoulder of the road, whether on the right or left, for any reason, remove the vehicle from the shoulder of the road, and choose the nearest parking lot outside the road for emergency parking, explaining that the law is applied to those who do not comply with the wrong parking violation, with a fine of 500 dirhams.

The Directorate urged not to be distracted by anything other than the road, to focus while driving, which enhances attention, to avoid road surprises, and to act at the appropriate time in a safe manner, explaining that lack of attention in this particular situation may cause traffic accidents that often lead to deaths and serious injuries.

Abu Dhabi Police warned vehicle drivers against overtaking from the shoulder of the road, stressing that it poses a danger to the lives of road users, explaining that it is used in emergency situations, to provide quick paths for ambulances, civil defense vehicles, and police vehicles, to carry out emergency and urgent services.

She pointed out that Article (42) of the Federal Traffic Law stipulates that overtaking on the shoulder of the road is a violation worth 1,000 dirhams and six traffic points.

• A 1,000 dirham fine for overtaking on the shoulder of the road, with 6 traffic points.