Mobile phone in the car

Drivers engaged with their Mobile Phone is a daily sight in the UAE! Driving must take our full concentration, because many unfortunate things can happen if we are distracted. In a world where everyone needs to be connected all the time, talking, texting and browsing with mobile phones became a significant cause of road accidents and fatalities.

Studies concluded:

• Cell phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers!
• ‘Texting and Driving’ became one of the main killers on the world’s roads!
• The collision is 23 times greater than when not texting.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.*)
• Driving while using a hands-free cellular device is not safer than using a hand held cell phone!

• *) Texting is so dangerous because it involves all 4 forms of distraction: http://www.roadsafetyuae.com/distracted-driving/

How to do it right!

• Before you enter your car, put your mobile phone on SILENT and STOW IT AWAY

If you HAVE TO call while driving:

• Let your passenger take or make the call.
• Make sure you call ‘hands-free’ (many cars come with this feature already!)
• The BEST option however is to call back when you finished your trip, or when you take a rest to call
• Even pedestrians should refrain from using their mobile phones if it might deviate their attention

Watch out for this

• Don’t text or browse the internet while driving
• Don’t call without a proper hands-free kit …but best: NO calls at all!
• Even using hands-free devices while driving is a source of deviation!
• If you come across other drivers or pedestrians seemingly deviated by using a mobile phone, be extra careful!