Dubai: 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 man who was driving at a high speed ran over a group of workers who were performing prayers on the roadside after the tyre of his vehicle burst, the police official said.

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.

“Saturday’s accident is a strong message to other drivers that it is dangerous to stop on the side of the road near traffic flow,” Brigadier Al Mazroui added.

He said there are many mosques in the city and at petrol stations where motorists can offer prayers instead of endangering lives of people by praying on the roadside.

Official statistics from Interior Ministry shows that police departments in the country issued 23,763 fines to motorists last year for not following road signs and traffic instructions.

Dubai Police said that buses can be impounded if the drivers repeat the offence. “We have noted this behaviour and have warned drivers against stopping on the road side. “Despite warnings, some drivers are repeating the same offence. In some case companies that owned the buses have been contacted to inform them about the offending drivers.

Dubai Police also aim to launch awareness campaigns for motorists to avoid parking on the side of the roads.

Meanwhile, Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, head of Federal Traffic Council, tweeted regarding the Saturday accident: “Side of the road is not a proper place to offer prayers and it can endanger lives of worshippers.”