Dh800 fine, four black points for distracted driving on Abu Dhabi roads

Abu Dhabi: A Dh800 fine will be imposed on motorists for being distracted while driving, in addition to four black traffic points, the Abu Dhabi Police has warned.

The authority also shared a video clip of an accident that occurred as a result of driver inattention. The clip shows a white sedan colliding with another white sedan on the rightmost lane of an Abu Dhabi road. The second white sedan crashes into the median railing, and goes into a spin. The vehicle appears to be completely wrecked, while the vehicle that first collided into it drives off into the distance.

Causes

The Abu Dhabi Police said many drivers are inattentive while driving because they scroll through apps and social media platforms while driving, or use their phones to make calls or take pictures. These behaviours are extremely hazardous, and put the lives of the driver as well as other road users at grave risk.

Steeper penalties

Driver inattention is also often responsible for motorists running the red light, but the penalties for this violation are much steeper, with Dh51,000 in fines and fees, along with vehicle impoundment. The Abu Dhabi Police shared a clip of such an accident in February.

Radar detection

Because driver inattention results in numerous traffic incidents in the emirate each year, the Abu Dhabi Police launched a network of radars in January 2021 to detect drivers using their phones while on the road. The radars use AI-powered cameras to detect high-res images of drivers, and the Police then immediately cautions drivers against the behaviour with a text message.