Abu Dhabi: The dangers of distracted driving cannot be highlighted enough.
Police in Abu Dhabi are carrying out a year-long campaign to educate motorists on the importance of keeping their eyes on the roads in a bid to cut down traffic accidents in the emirate.
As part of their awareness campaign, Abu Dhabi Police released CCTV footage earlier this week that shows a horrific accident took place due to distracted driving.
In their advisory, police warned drivers not to be distracted by smart phones, not to take pictures or videos when driving, and also not to apply make-up as such distractions can lead to disastrous consequences.
An unassuming motorist driving behind fails to notice that the vehicle ahead has slowed down, and inadvertently crashes into the car, spinning it out of control.
The motorist behind fails to take evasive action in time, and ends up rear-ending the vehicle of the distracted motorist. Both vehicles are badly damaged as they spin out of control on the middle of the highway. Thankfully, no other vehicle was involved in the accident.
Distractions while driving claimed the lives of 59 motorists in the UAE in 2018, and according to statistics revealed by Dubai Police, distracted driving resulted in sudden swerving caused 438 accidents where 59 people died and 495 others were injured.
The fine for being distracted is Dh800 and four black points.
Last year, police across the UAE issued a total of 88,619 fines to drivers for using their phones last year, while a further 4,184 were fined for being distracted for various other reasons.
