Dubai: Some women have no hesitation in admitting that they are prone to distractions while driving and they are also aware their actions could have dangerous consequences.
Applying makeup, looking in the rearview mirror, fishing for things from the bottom of purses and tending to children seated in the back are some of the most common habits to which women drivers admit.
While multitasking can be the best option to save time, it can sometimes lead to costly mistakes, especially when done behind the wheel.
Motorists speaking to Gulf News said that distracted driving is something common among both men and women drivers in the UAE. The habit not only takes the driver’s eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel, it also takes their mind off driving, consequently causing traffic obstruction or in worst cases, a car crash.
In an interview last week, General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, head of the UAE Federal Traffic Council, said the revised traffic law that will come into efefct from July 1 will target people who get distracted on the roads by doing other things besides using their mobile phone while driving.
“Female motorists will be fined for putting on make-up while driving. Using a selfie stick while driving will also be fined as will any activity that causes distraction. Motorists need to focus on the roads while driving,” he added.
Madina K. 24, a Chechen motorist, admits she is not immune to distractions while driving.
“Yes, I multitask while driving because I have to sometimes. I can be doing three things at once; I know it’s a bad habit, but it saves me a lot of time.”
Madina often finds herself answering calls while driving, applying makeup while rushing to a meeting and drinking coffee all at once.
“We live in a very hectic time and multitasking is the only way we can ensure we don’t reach late to work or to an outing,” she argues.
She paid traffic fines to the tune of Dh9,000 in 2016, she said, and was also once pulled over by a police officer for using google maps after she lost her way in Palm Jumeirah.
Madina says it’s common among women drivers to apply makeup in the car or use google maps when not familiar with specific locations.
“I’ve seen a number of women who get themselves distracted while driving, like by reading a magazine in traffic or texting friends.”
Anjana Kavasseri |
Indian expat Anjana Kavasseri, a working mother with two children aged 10 and 15, said that her phone has never been a form of distraction because she never uses it while driving but she does believe every mother has had to check on her children in the backseat.
“Children can become a distracting factor. When they are sitting in the back, they make noise and mothers tend to look in the rear mirror to see if they are behaving and not fighting. Also children ask many questions, so answering them can be distracting,” she said.
She reckons that both men and women are prone to getting distracted while behind the wheel.
“We shouldn’t be generalising because it happens with all,” she says.
Kavasseri, who has been driving for the past 15 years, said that she has come across women drinking their coffee or having their breakfast while driving early in the morning, and also others who slow down because they are “so engrossed” in talking to passengers in their car.
“A few days ago I saw a woman driving with one hand and smoking with the other. She was slowing down with the intent of changing lanes but was not doing it because her hand was occupied.”
Ebrahim Abdul Hadi |
Ebrahim Abdul Hadi, a marketing assistant, said he had come across some young women drivers driving without paying full attention to the road. “It is common to see young drivers taking selfies for Snapchat, applying makeup or changing music. Some of them also dance in the car, and this ultimately takes their attention off the road,” he said.
Texting and driving is just one part of the problem, he adds. “Multitasking can range from looking for something in their purse to putting their phone on the charger. When they are lost on the road, it also gets them confused and distracted.”
He believes both men and women are guilty of such acts. “The youth are mostly the ones to do more than one thing at the same time when driving, I’ve seen this many times,” he says.
