UAE: Will you get fined for drinking or eating while driving?

Key Takeaways:

• Eating, drinking, or smoking while driving can cause distraction, which is dangerous because it can result in an accident.
• According to Matta, drivers who consume alcohol, smoke, use makeup, or eat while operating a vehicle could be fined Dh800 and given four licence points.

It’s dangerous to get distracted while driving, and distraction can lead to an accident; reasons for distraction are eating, drinking or smoking. Using mobile phones is also one reason for getting distracted while driving.

Having a cup of coffee or something to eat while driving is fairly typical among UAE drivers, especially in the morning when everyone is rushing to work on time.

Per information from the Ministry of Interior, distracted driving was the third-leading cause of fatal accidents in the UAE in 2021, accounting for 13% of all collisions resulting in fatalities.

On Sunday, the Integrated Transport Centre of Abu Dhabi posted on Twitter to draw attention to the shocking 80 per cent increase in the likelihood of a car accident when eating or drinking while driving.

“Higher concentration while driving is linked to lower accident rates. We wish everyone the utmost safety, “The transport authority of Abu Dhabi published on Instagram.

According to Navandeep Matta, senior associate at Century Maxim International, “distraction” has taken on a broad meaning and is covered by the rules and regulations of Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017.

He claimed that anything that prevents a driver from paying attention to the road and traffic signs, such as using a mobile phone, going online, texting, or taking pictures or videos while driving, counts as a distraction. Furthermore, eating while driving can cause a driver to become distracted because it impairs their concentration.

Matta stated that motorists who eat, drink, smoke, or use makeup while driving could be fined Dh800 and receive four black points on their licence.

He said that while driving, the driver should keep both hands on the wheel and refrain from any activity that might divert their attention from the road or traffic signs.

Two-thirds occasionally become distracted.

According to a study, 38% of UAE drivers among the ages of 18 and 24 are occasionally distracted, according to Thomas Edelmann, managing director of Road Safety in the UAE.

“We must be on the lookout for potential errors made by others! According to research, if drivers take their eyes off the roadway for just two seconds while moving at 100 kilometres per hour, they are effectively driving blind for 55 metres. 

This puts one in three drivers who do not pay full attention to the road at risk of hurting themselves, their passengers, and other drivers, said Edelmann.

Top reasons for distraction

The behaviour of other drivers

Passengers speaking to you

Changing the radio

Using a mobile phone

Reaching for objects in the car.

Source: Road Safety, UAE

According to the study, 20% of drivers are distracted when eating or drinking while operating a vehicle.

“Eating and drinking didn’t make the top 10, but distractions from anything can be deadly and should be taken seriously… Manual, visual, and cognitive distractions are involved in eating and drinking. 

This entails that we take our hands off the wheel, our eyes off the road, and our focus off the activities around us, declared the managing director.

How to avoid being distracted

According to the study, drivers prefer a variety of strategies, such as radio listening, caffeine consumption, paying attention to speed cameras, and police presence, to aid in concentration and maintain focus on the road. But being by myself while driving was the single biggest aid to concentration.

“To increase road safety in the UAE, raising awareness of driving distractions is critical. Drivers distracted while driving is more likely to swerve into oncoming traffic, drive too closely to the car in front of them, fail to anticipate traffic patterns, and commit other serious traffic violations. Drivers must be conscious of the various distractions, he said.