Dubai Police has embarked on a massive crackdown on distracted driving.
Motorists are to be hit with a fine of as much as Dh800 if they do not obey traffic rules.
Recent statistics show that distracted driving was one of the main factors leading to road deaths in the United Arab Emirates in Q3 of last year.
Lack of courtesy to other motorists and excessive speeding were the other main factors.
Approximately 468 people were killed on roads in the UAE last year.
A variety of factors contributed to the deaths, but as many as 13% of them were caused by distracted driving.
Dubai Police has previously revealed official statistics showing that the primary cause of sudden swerving was distracted driving.
Sudden swerving is believed to be responsible for as many as 438 accidents.
Those figures include 495 injuries and as many as 59 deaths in 2018.
A year-long campaign has been launched by Abu Dhabi Police to try to cut the number of fatalities that occur on roads in the UAE by warning motorists of the dangers posed by distracted driving.
Under the Federal Traffic Law’s Article 32, using a mobile phone falls under the category of distracted driving and can incur four black points as well as a fine of Dh800.
The awareness campaign being run by Abu Dhabi Police is intended to cut down the number of deaths by as much as 25% in Q3 2019 in comparison to the same time period in 2018.
The campaign is also hoping to see road deaths be reduced to as little as three for every 100,000 residents within the next two years.
There were 3.83 road deaths for every 100,000 residents last year, according to Gulf News.
The Directorate of Traffic and Patrols is calling on motorists to obey the traffic roles to protect their own lives and those of other road users.
Drivers have been told to always keep their eyes on the road, give the right of way to pedestrians, and always stick to the speed limit.
Motorists who choose to ignore these warnings and are caught by police will be fined for distracted driving.
Distracted driving includes making live stories on social media, smoking shisha, styling hair or putting on makeup, making use of a selfie stick, and consuming food or drink while in charge of a motor vehicle.
The sheer number of accidents that take place on the roads of the UAE offers another strong reason why people should take out car insurance.
It is actually against the law not to have car insurance when operating a motor vehicle in the UAE.
However, car insurance is not just an obligation and is of direct benefit to the owner of the coverage.
Car insurance offers financial protection against the damage that can be done to your own vehicle and those belonging to other road users in the event of an accident.
Car insurance also protects against other possibilities such as motor vehicle theft.