Avoid mobile phones while driving

Mohammed Alaa, Staff Reporter

The Abu Dhabi Police have warned against the use of mobile phones while driving, either for typing messages or replying to greetings, as this was in violation of the law according to Article 32 of the traffic control rules. The article stipulates that drivers using mobile phones while driving will be fined Dhs800 and get 4 black points.

Brigadier Mohammed Al Humairi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Department, has called on motorists to abide by the traffic rules and regulations, avoid excessive speed and jumping the red signal and focus only on the road.

During the Eid days, some drivers may have to reply to greeting calls or messages while driving, which would lead them to lose concentration and cause tragic accidents, he said.

Al Humairi advised families to keep an eye on their children during the Eid holidays, emphasising the danger of allowing juveniles to drive vehicles without a licence or indulge in risky vehicle stunts with their peers.

Recently, an Arab national, identified as BSG, 49, was killed while his wife, 35, and two children aged 3 and 4, sustained minor injuries after his car had overturned in Al Zawra area on Al Ittihad Street in Ajman.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Falasi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Department at Ajman Police, the accident took place as a result of the driver being busy with his mobile phone, causing the vehicle to swerve abruptly to hit the pavement and then overturn in the central reservation. Police patrols, Civil Defence vehicles and national ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident to rescue the injured.

However, the driver succumbed to the injuries he sustained when the vehicle overturned because he did not fasten the seatbelt.

Al Falasi pointed out that busying oneself with mobile phones is now a major cause of traffic accidents.  He stressed the need for drivers to concentrate, leave mobile phones while driving, fasten seatbelts and abide by traffic rules.