Saturday: 19 September 2009:
Avoid using Mobile Phone while driving
Sending and receiving SMS and calls while driving are risky and should be avoided, especially during festivals, warned a police official. Colonel Adeel Al Shamsi, Director of Traffic and patrols at Abu Dhabi Police, advised motorists not to answer, read or write text messages while driving, especially during the ongoing Eid holidays.
"According to studies and analyses on the causes of traffic accidents have shown that writing text messages while driving reduces the concentration of the driver by 35%", said Al Shamsi.
He stressed the keenness of Abu Dhabi Traffic Police on curbing such practices by issuing tickets to people who use their mobile phones while driving. According to police statistics, from 1st January to 10 September this year, 11,740 tickets were issued to motorists who were caught using mobile phones while driving. A fine of Dh200 and four black points are imposed on the offenders.
