Thanks to advancements in mobile technology, a mobile is no more a mere phone but device for various Internet-related activities. Therefore, just as there is this temptation to take or make a phone call on mobile while driving, there are recalcitrant drivers determined to make full use of other means as well from Whatsapp to SMS to Snapchat. As if the car is their study and the road ahead merely the patch of grass overlooking it!
If the figures provided by the Traffic Chief are to be believed, of the 3,352 violations, only 1,042 related to making phone calls while driving. The rest were all relating to a diversity of other misdemeanours – 530 related to Whatsapp chats, 335 to writing SMSs, 282 to taking selfies, 250 to logging into Instagram, 177 to logging into Snapchat, 169 to looking at the clock to check on time, 462 to watching YouTube and 105 to reading on Twitter. Where do these drivers find time to concentrate on driving is anybody’s guess.
Indeed, except for talking with the loudspeaker in the ‘on’ mode when one’s hands are free to hold the steering wheel and one could still talk while looking at the road, all the other activities require the use of both the hands and/ or the eyes. So if the number of accidents on Bahrain is rising and people are increasingly suffering from road rage it is not surprising.
The Traffic Chief warned that using the mobile even while waiting at the traffic signal was against traffic rules. And rightly so, since if the light turns to green and you are in the middle of sending an SMS or a Whatapp message, the driver behind you is rightfully bound to get enraged. And even if you begin to move, you’d be crawling until your message-writing chore is over thereby holding the traffic to ransom.
The best thing is to keep the phone in the ‘Mute’ mode while driving and pay full attention to the road ahead, like in the good old pre-mobile phone days. In Bahrain at least, the distances are small and you are not going to miss out on any earth-shaking or life-changing event or development if you are not available on the phone for 15 or 20 minutes. But if you do get into a scrape or more on the road through carelessly remaining glued to your phone, something unsavoury and life-changing might happen to you.
Happy driving!