Sandier Pastures

While we were near The World Trade Center in Sheikh Zayed Road on a foggy morning:

The fog mist(?) seems to be moving in a very interesting manner I had to grab my camera and take a picture. Sometimes, traffic is good - it can make you appreciate the things around you and give you a chance of taking a still photo like this one.

Photos taken last week.

A horrific accident happened last Tuesday in the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway caused by fog and clear reckless driving left hundreds injured and 8 people dead. Of the hundred vehicle pile up, 25 vehicles caught fire.

~ Looks like a scene from a Hollywood action movie but sadly, it isn’t ~

Police officers say that the crash happened because the vehicles were still speeding despite the severe weather conditions where thick fog reduced visibility to 15 meters. Driving at more than 60 kmh when you can’t see a thing 15 meters ahead of you is just simply road arrogance and suicide. I pray for those who perished and hope for fast recovery of those injured.

More than anything else, I fervently hope that UAE drivers reach a maturity level so accidents like this can be prevented.

*****

Thanks to all who emailed me to ask if me and my family was ok. Thank God we are. The accident area is far from our place and my route for work. However, my husband and I have decided to delay getting out of the house in the morning during foggy weather.

Photos from Gulf News

Driving was a risky task this morning as thick fog enveloped the whole city dropping the visibility to 100 meters.  There were 168 accidents reported for today alone.

The fog descended over Dubai at around 3:30 am and only cleared by 8:30 am.It is not unusual to have fog at this time of the year.It occurs when there is very light wind, absolute clear skies, high humidity (signalling summer?) and cold nights.

Starting Wednesday, very strong winds with speeds of over 45 kmph will hit the country whipping up dust. No lip gloss on Wednesday if that is true!

We woke up to another foggy day today.  The fog is so thick we couldn’t even see the roof of the low-lying apartment building next to ours. My daughter insisted, however that it is still night at 6:30 am because the sun was not there (and still pretty dark).

Most of the people driving on the roads this morning were following traffic rules. They were staying in their lanes, driving at slow speed and doing shoulder checks when changing lanes. I wish they do that even on clear sunny days!

Visibility dropped to 50 meters on most parts of the city, disrupting traffic and flights. The radio kept announcing cars smashing to each other in main highways.

Fog occurs because the warm, moist winds from the Gulf come inland and remain there because there is no dry breeze from the mountains to push it back out to sea. Fog in Dubai, which usually occurs in the cooler months of November to January means so many things: dangerous roads, surprisingly extra-careful driving and a perfect excuse to be late.