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‘No escape’: Dubai Police catch drivers using mobile phones even if cars are tinted

It is important to understand that the system works very well from the front, but also from the side angle

Erring motorists who think they can hide behind their tinted windows when they use their mobile phones while driving must think again. Smart and advanced cameras are now being used by authorities to detect various road safety violations, such as failure to wear seat belts and use of mobile phones — even if windshields are heavily tinted.

Maj-Gen Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, said on Friday that advanced smart traffic cameras recently identified serious cases of distracted driving. “In one instance, a driver was caught using two phones at once while driving, while another was seen reading a newspaper, obstructing the view of the road,” he added.

“The advanced systems are designed to detect various violations, such as not wearing seat belts, mobile phone usage, and other distractions from the road. Impressively, they can capture these violations even if the vehicle’s windscreen is tinted."

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Al Mazrouei reminded motorists that vehicles would be impounded for up to 30 days for multiple traffic offences, including the use of mobile phones while driving, tailgating, and sudden deviation. The 30-day impoundment will be an additional penalty to fines of between Dh400 and Dh1,000 and four black points for these offences.

Advanced photo technology

Explaining the technology to Khaleej Times, Youssef Al Hansali, CEO of Vitronic Machine Vision, said: “The smart camera system is capable of detecting if a motorist uses a mobile phone via advanced photo technology coupled with artificial intelligence.”

“A front-facing photo of the violating motorist is taken and processed by the UAE authorities for further action. It is important to understand that the system works very well from the front, but also from the side angle, and it is even able to penetrate tinted car windows,” added Al Hansali, whose company “has installed a variety of cutting-edge enforcement systems in the UAE".

He said the country has witnessed a rapid deployment of various forms of smart traffic enforcement in the last couple of years. “The technologies utilised today are: front speed cameras, rear speed cameras, cameras detecting mobile phones, cameras detecting seat belt, as well as cameras used to detect lack of safe distance, lane discipline, and crossing red light.”

He added cameras can also be used for traffic management solutions like city tolling, optimising traffic flow and accessing data for infrastructure build-up.

Al Hansali reiterated: “The incorrect use of the mobile phone while driving is the main cause of distracted driving but the good thing is authorities have the technical capabilities to detect the use of mobile phones while driving.”

'20 times more likely to crash'

Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of Road Safety UAE, earlier told Khaleej Times: “Those texting while driving are 20 times more likely to be involved in a crash.”

“Distracted driving, especially due to mobile phone use, is by far the biggest culprit on our roads. The Ministry of Interior's data from 2023 ranked distracted driving as the leading cause of accidents; and international research shows distracted motorists are four times more likely to be involved in a crash compared to focused drivers,” he added.

On Friday, November 8, Abu Dhabi Police released a video of a white van crashing into at least seven vehicles, including a delivery motorcycle on the side of the road. Authorities said the driver was distracted and did not see the congestion.

Early last month, Abu Dhabi Police also released a video showing a car crashing into a sedan parked on the shoulder of the road. The distracted motorist drove past the solid line and straight into the other car, causing it to skid off the road entirely.

Abu Dhabi Police have repeatedly warned drivers about the dangers of distraction caused by using phones to browse social media, make calls, take pictures, and other behaviours that can lead to serious traffic accidents.

Authorities added the use of smart technologies is in line with their objective of making the country “a global leader in traffic safety with the strategic goal of reducing road accident fatalities" but cooperation is strongly needed from motorists who must abide by all road safety regulations.

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