Pull over if urgent

I think that introducing these regulations to discourage people from using their phones while driving is a great initiative (“Do this and get slapped a Dh800 fine, 4 black points”, Gulf News, October 22). Accidents can happen in a fraction of a second and in some cases can be avoided entirely. There is nothing that is so urgent that is worth taking such a risk. If at all someone absolutely must use their phone, they could pull over to the side of the road and then use it. Additionally, most cars nowadays are enabled with Bluetooth, so drivers can still answer calls without having to look at their phones. When people use their phones while driving they don’t realise that they are not only endangering their own lives, but also the lives of others on the road. From Ms Lehar Chellani Dubai

Install new features

W hy doesn’t the automobile industry make the Bluetooth phone answering facility a standard feature in all vehicles? It’s not an expensive option to add on to a vehicle. Many automobile makers give it as a standard feature in other aspects of the same vehicle. Everyone these days uses a phone with Bluetooth capability. It is a very basic standard. From Mr Mohammad Sahil Ajman Facebook comment

Discipline is needed

I t’s not about reducing speed limit, but about discipline and respect for other road users. Last night near a mall exit, someone crossed my path in the second lane, from the left. I used my car horn to signal him but he did not care and went straight to the far right just to catch the exit. From Mr Avodroc Sinned Dubai Facebook comment

Cars parked badly

I t’s sad to say that the parking situation is crazy in International City. Some commercial vehicles and trucks are so big, they don’t fit in the parking slots that they are parked in and every day you find new abandoned vehicles adding to the growing number of cars left behind. Some cars have been there for so long, they are falling apart. Also, at night, cars parked tend to block other vehicles, so in an emergency, there is no way to get your car out. From Mr David Rodrigues Dubai Facebook comment

Beyond expensive

W e had visited a rooftop beverage outlet recently (“How much will you pay for a bottle of water?”, Gulf News, October 19). My wife, two sons and their wives were offered water repeatedly by the waitress. We gave in and she immediately brought two bottles and poured them out for each of us. She kept asking us if we wanted more water, but we politely declined. Subsequently we ordered something to drink, which cost around Dh80 to Dh90 each. We were surprised to see the final bill because the water was the most expensive item, priced at Dh110 per bottle. We just had to grin and accept it. Looking at our experience, the other guests had a walk in the park, since they only paid Dh20 to Dh30 per bottle, unlike us, who paid a king’s ransom for the same. From Mr Sajan Bhatia Dubai

Water is too expensive

I require water to be carried with me for medical reasons and even when I enter the cinemas I need to buy a bottle from their store since I cannot bring my own. It was initially Dh5 and now has been increased to Dh6.I feel that this must be regulated. I can understand if they prevent us from bringing food and soft drinks from outside. But they have no right to prevent us from bringing water from outside. Recently even in India they had brought in a law where people who go to watch movies are charged heftily and so were allowed to bring their own water. Very happy to see this article and hope there will be a change in the near future. From Mr Basil Sunny UAE

More watery options

T his can be seen all over the world. Every restaurant sells water and soft drinks at prices higher than those found in grocery stores. In India, all restaurants serve free drinking water as an option, but also serve bottled water, for which they charge extra as marginal money. From Mr Chandan Veer Dubai Facbook comment

Hope for better days

I picked up the day’s newspaper, and went to my couch (“JFK could help prevent nuclear war. Can Trump?”, Gulf News, October 23).

I open a page, and all I see is news about murder, rape, sexual abuse, mass killing, and the list goes on. This is not just one day’s case, but this is the sad truth of the 21st century. Should I blame the newspapers for voicing the truth or the world for making itself a bitter place?

In fact, I stopped reading the newspaper for a long time; but that does not stop me from getting to know what’s happening in the world when scrolling through my Facebook feed or listening to the radio while on a drive?

Often, such news makes me question myself and my own security. How safe am I in my own house? Am I safe if I step outside? What will happen to me when I stay away from my parents?

I tend to pull myself into my own insecurities, or rather the society has made me do so.

I believe, that if each and every one of us strives together to bring about a change, at least the next generation would have fresher days. From Ms Parvathi Sreeraj UAE

Construct parks for playing

G eorge Mathews’ tragic accident has jolted the community in Sharjah (“School community mourns loss of Sharjah boy”, Gulf News, October 19). He was like every 13-year-old boy: active and passionate about sports. In a country that prides itself on the health and happiness of its residents, we need more areas within our communities for our children to play safely as well. The current football facilities for kids in Sharjah, specifically the Al Khan area, are inadequate.

The local community Safiya Park has a football turf, which is by prior booking and provides limited access to children.

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Other areas within the park, though unutilised are restricted for playing football. Free space between buildings are being turned into parking lots, so where should children play? We do not want out kids glued to their screens, but are we really providing them with safe areas to play in?

The authorities need to review this. Let this incident be more than a statistic; this needs to trigger a movement for awareness and change. From Mr Savio Sequeira UAE

Better education for all

G lobally, education has been bettered for all genders (“Space, science key to better life, says Abdullah”, Gulf News, October 22).

Though, I see the girl child has been involved in this process and they can benefit from this and reach the same heights as men, competing for similar positions. There have been organisations set up to facilitate the progress of the girl child and I believe they have created a big impact in different fields, be it research or more. From Ms Karuhanga Vicent UAE

Cameras as precaution

O ne must put cameras in homes of adopted children (“Body of Indian girl, 3, missing in Texas ‘found’”, Gulf News, October 17). It might be a breach of their privacy but then again, it might save a child’s life who is too young to talk about what happened. It happens in every part of the world not just to this little angel. From Ms Daisy Tito UAE Facebook comment

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