RAK officials look closely at risk posed by drivers watching TV

Ras Al Khaimah: Law enforcement authorities here are in consultation with police in other emirates on whether television sets and video devices crafted into instrument panels of cars are illegal, officials said.

A senior official at Ras Al Khaimah's Traffic and Licensing Department said the move follows a sharp increase in road accidents caused by distracted drivers. Police investigations into such accidents revealed that drivers of vehicles with television sets and DVD players fitted near the front seats were often not entirely focused on the road, he said.

"Something should be done about such devices which distract drivers," said the official, describing the gadgets as a 'curse' responsible for several tragedies.

He suggested that entertainment devices could be kept to the back seats of cars and urged motorists to be responsible enough to look after themselves and their families.

There have been tens of deaths in the emirate of late after people were hit by vehicles that veered off course as drivers looked at video devices installed in the front of their vehicles.

Technicians who install such gadgets in cars are much sought after and said the devices themselves are in big demand.