Fatal road accidents in the UAE are a major concern for road and transport authorities. One of the major reasons for occurrence of deadly road accidents in the UAE is distracted driving. The findings of a new YouGov research conducted by “Road Safety UAE and QIC Insured” suggest the use of mobile phone while driving to be the leading cause for fatal road accidents in the UAE. The findings of this research also indicate that only 26% of the motorists avoid using their mobile phone while driving while rest of them do it for various reasons.
Also read: 112 Traffic Deaths in First Half of 2016 in Dubai
Detailed Findings of the Latest Research
The research conducted by Road Safety UAE and QIC indicated the use of mobile phone while driving as the major reason for dangerous road accidents in the UAE. The use of mobile phone while driving is lethal as it puts in danger, multiple lives on the road thus increases the rate of road deaths.
Following are the key findings of the latest research:
- Drivers’ age group between 25-29 years is the most vulnerable one
- Westerners usually don’t use mobile while driving
- 74% Drivers make use of the mobile phone for incoming calls
- 43% Drivers use the Mobile phone for outgoing calls
- 19% Drivers use mobile phone to open/reply incoming messages
- 14% Drivers make use of their mobile phone to send messages
- Old Drivers hold the maximum percentage for listening to incoming calls
- Young Drivers mostly make outgoing calls
- 60% of the respondents in the search admitted using hands-free during almost half of their drives
Why Use of Mobile Phone while Driving is Deadly
Use of mobile phone while driving is deadly because it causes a number of distractions. One of them is the manual distraction that results in taking hands off the steering. The other distraction is visual distraction where you take your eyes off the road. Another significant distraction caused by using mobile phone while driving is the auditory distraction where the driver becomes unable to listen to the traffic sounds. The chance of occurrence of fatal accidents on the road increases due to use of mobile phone while driving because of impact of multiple distractions caused by it.
Also read: UAE Police Warns Motorists for Taking Selfies While Driving
Penalties for using Mobile Phone while Driving
A fine of AED 1,000 and 12 Black Points against your license are the penalties for using mobile phone while driving. Whether these penalties are heavy enough to discourage the motorists from using mobile phone while driving has become a matter of discussion for the authorities. As a possible increase in the penalties can be forecasted, it is the responsibility of the motorists to be more careful while driving and avoid using mobile phone.
Planning to change your car? Don’t forget that with us you can sell your used car in just 30 minutes while all the post sales paperwork is handled by SellAnyCar.com’s team.
