ABU DHABI // The Department of Transport is using 40 portable road signs to warn drivers about hazards on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai and Abu Dhabi-Al Ain roads.
The signs will flash various messages at drivers in both Arabic and English.
'Accident Slow Down,' 'Dense Fog Ahead,' and 'Road Closed' are among the messages designed to improve road safety, the department said in a statement yesterday. Such signs, which can be seen at a distance of 300 metres, have been proven effective at reducing speeds and crashes, it said.
Messages on the signs provide timely advice to drivers as road conditions change.
Simon Labbett, the regional director of the Transport Research Laboratory, a road-safety consultancy, said it was important that the messages were up-to-date.
"To maximise the effect, the information needs to be a timely message. It must be relevant to the driver," Mr Labbett said. "If the message is 'slow, accident ahead,' and there is no accident, there is no need to slow, the information is less credible."
The DoT said it was working with Abu Dhabi Police to inform the public about the signs.
The signs were used at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to direct motorists and would be used again at this year's event and during the Fifa Club World Cup.
mchung@thenational.ae
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl