Dubai: Dubai Police have fined a motorist for making a live Instagram video post while driving, warning against the practice.
The Arab motorist was notified of the fine in a comment posted by Dubai Police in his live feed.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of traffic department at Dubai Police, told Gulf News the driver was on Shaikh Zayed Road on Friday when the incident happened.
Other road users noticed him recording live while behind the wheel and called 901 to inform Dubai Police.
“We received some calls about a man driving on Shaikh Zayed Road on Friday afternoon while recording on Instagram. We checked his account and saw the live video and registered a traffic offence,” Brigadier Al Mazroui said.
The motorist was fined Dh800 and given four black points for being distracted while driving.
The motorist told Dubai Police his phone was fixed on the dashboard and he wasn’t holding it, but police said it was still a distraction as he was reading the comments from his followers.
“Many accidents have happened because of drivers being distracted by their phones while driving. It is a serious violation and punishable under the traffic law.”
Brig Al Mazroui called on social media influencers to avoid making live videos while driving.
“We want people to be aware of such mistakes by motorists on our roads. Anyone can call Dubai Police to alert us about any traffic offences by other motorists and we will check before issuing a traffic fine,” he said.
He praised the important role of the public in alerting police about offenders. Police receive many notes and calls daily about different kinds of incidents, which help in ensuring safer roads.
