Dh500 fine for stopping vehicles to pray on roadside

Motorists who park on the side of the road for praying will be fined Dh500, a senior official of Dubai Police told Gulf News on Sunday.

Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of Traffic Department at Dubai Police, said that roadside parking is a dangerous offence and can result in deadly accidents especially on highways.

“It is not acceptable for motorists to park on the side of the road for praying especially on highways,” Brigadier Al Mazroui said.

Dubai Police warning came a day after a motorist rammed into a crowd of people offering Maghrib prayer on the roadside on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road on Saturday.

The Asian driver, identified as GM, was driving a 4X4 vehicle and lost control of the vehicle, ramming into the group of people on the side of the road, killing two people. Six others suffered injuries and three of them were stated to be in a serious condition.

Brigadier Al Mazroui said that 15 minutes before the deadly accident four other buses had been parked on the roadside just metres away where the deadly accident occurred. As the workers moved out to offer prayers, police patrols asked them to go to a nearby mosque to pray.