Leave the phone alone at red lights, UAE safety experts say

Checking your mobile phone behind the wheel takes your eyes off the road and could lead to rear-end crashes if other drivers notice the light turn green first, police and experts say.

ABU DHABI // If you are stuck at a traffic light it can be tempting to reach for the phone to make a call or check your social media accounts.

“It’s the only time we can fully look at our phones rather than while driving,” said Bibin Kuriakose, 30, an account manager at Delma Emirates Travel in Dubai. “Nowadays, people just cannot take their mobile phones out of their hands.”

But checking your phone at the wheel takes your eyes off the road and could lead to rear-end crashes if other drivers notice the light turn green first, police and experts say.

“The motorist must be paying attention even at an intersection with a red light or stopped in a traffic jam,” said Michael Dreznes, executive vice president of the International Road Federation, a not-for-profit group that promotes the development of better, safer and more sustainable roads.

“Many accidents where someone was texting at a red light were caused when the texting driver realised that the light had changed but had not picked up his head to see that the car in front of him had not started moving, and he rear-ended the car. If the driver must make a call, he or she should move to a safe location where the vehicle is not a hindrance to traffic.”

In the UAE, the penalty for using a phone while driving is Dh200 and four black points on the driver's licence.

Col Saif Al Mazrouei, director of Dubai Traffic Police, said it was an offence even if a person was using the mobile phone while stopped at a traffic light.

“Talking on the phone, picking it up to check it, and reading and sending messages are not allowed,” he said. “Using your phone may cause you to lose your concentration on the road. To be honest, we didn’t give a fine yet to those using their mobile phones at a traffic light.”

Col Al Mazrouei said there were plans to start penalising motorists by January 1 next year.

Dino Kalivas, chairman of the International Road Federation’s driver education and training committee, welcomed the move. The level of driver distraction was the same whether a vehicle was stationary or not, he said. “Drivers may believe there is less risk while stationary but this is not true and we witness many end-to-end crashes in traffic because drivers are distracted.”

Traffic laws in Australia do not distinguish between moving or stationary vehicles when it comes to the use of mobiles, said Salaheddine Bendak, associate professor in industrial engineering at the University of Sharjah. “As long as the vehicle engine is running and the vehicle is on the road, the driver is fined if they use the mobile phone for any purpose,” he said.

More than 100,000 serious traffic offences were recorded in Abu Dhabi during the first quarter of the year. Eighteen per cent of these were for unfastened seat belts, 10 per cent for phone use and 8 per cent for faulty tyres, the Abu Dhabi Police traffic directorate said.

Dubai Police recorded 49,643 cases last year of people using their mobile phones while driving, an increase from 45,499 in 2014 and 35,734 in 2013.

The Federal Traffic Council recommended that the penalties be increased to Dh1,000, 12 black points and vehicle confiscation for a period of 30 days, but it is not yet law.

Mr Kuriakose said the stringent fines for using mobiles, including at a stop light, would greatly affect sales workers.

“We spend about six hours in our cars and often need to reply to a client, usually when we’re stationary at traffic lights.”