10.12 AM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Eid alert: Don't respond to Eid messages while driving

Reading text messages and using phones while driving preoccupies the driver and multiplies the risk of traffic accidents. (Supplied)

Published
By Staff

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police warned motorists against becoming preoccupied with responding to Eid greeting messages and phone calls while driving. The directorate urged drivers to stay focused while on road in order to avoid accidents and disruptions in traffic flow that may result from the lack of concentration. 
 
Brigadier Khamis Ishaq Mohammed, Director, Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Directorate-General of Central Operations, Abu Dhabi Police, said: “Reading text messages and using phones while driving preoccupies the driver and this keeps them from focusing on the road ahead. Such lack of concentration multiplies the risk of traffic accidents, which subsequently results in deaths and serious injuries.”
 
He explained that it is easy for drivers to become distracted and lose their concentration on the road when searching for his phone in his pockets, the glove box, or on the passenger’s seat. By searching for the phone, the driver may have to release his grip from the steering wheel, making it easier to lose control of the vehicle.
 
A new study conducted by the Directorate of Traffic and Patrols has warned of the risks associated with mobile phone use while driving. The study found that using the phone while driving impedes the driver’s ability to turn correctly; regardless of whether the user was using a handheld or hands-free phone. The study highlighted how mobile phone use increased the brain’s workload and affected the mental disposition of the driver with raised levels of tension and nervousness; correspondingly, it also affected the number of times the driver forgot to make a turn.