Revealed: 3 main causes for road deaths in UAE

Abu Dhabi: Police are clamping down on distracted drivers and will slap a Dh800 fine if motorists fail to adhere to traffic rules.

According to recent statistics, distracted driving was one of the main causes for road deaths during the third quarter of 2018, in addition to excessive speeding and lack of courtesy to other road users.

In 2018, around 468 people died on the roads in the UAE due to a number of factors, but 13 per cent were killed as a result of distracted driving.

Official statistics previously revealed by Dubai Police indicated that distracted driving was the main reason behind sudden swerving, which ultimately caused a total of 438 accidents, 59 deaths and injured 495 others during 2018.

In a move to reduce the number of fatalities on UAE roads, Abu Dhabi Police have launched a year-long campaign to warn motorists on the dangers of distracted drivers.

According to Article 32 of the Federal Traffic Law, the use of a mobile phone is categorised under distracted driving, incurring a fine of Dh800 and four black points.

The aim of Abu Dhabi Police’s awareness campaign is to reduce the number of deaths by 25 per cent in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, in addition to reducing road traffic deaths to three per 100,000 inhabitants by 2021. In 2018, Gulf News reported there were 3.83 road deaths per 100,000 people.

The Directorate of Traffic and Patrols called road users to abide by the traffic rules in order to protect the lives of other road users, keep their eyes on the road at all times, adhere to the speed limit and to always give pedestrians the right of way.

Dh800 fine, 4 black points

Motorists caught doing these things will be fined by police for distracted driving: