50 car accidents in 20 minutes choke traffic in Dubai

About 50 traffic incidents in 20 minutes were recorded on Monday morning in Dubai by the official Dubai Police app, Khaleej Times reported.

By 9am, a map overview of the UAE showed a plethora of purple symbols, each signifying a collision somewhere in the metropolis.

Dubai Police had warned drivers of two significant incidents producing tailbacks on the city's main arterial highways, which were severely congested.

The first one happened on Hessa Street, connecting to Sheikh Zayed Road across from Saudi-German Hospital. Authorities advised locals to use alternate routes after an accident on this important highway caused a traffic bottleneck.

Another traffic collision occurred on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, opposite International City, that led to Sharjah.

Dubai Police has announced the development of a new artificial intelligence (AI) powered system that would simplify the reporting of traffic accidents.

Additionally, the app will also assist in identifying the accident's cause, saving the police time and money. It will help cut down on manual labour and procedures by about 50%.

Driving while distracted is the top reason for car accidents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and worldwide. In the first half of 2023, it was reported that more than 35,000 drivers were caught using their mobile phones, which led to 99 car accidents, resulting in six deaths and 58 injuries.