Dh800 fine for taking photos of rain while driving

Police warn motorists against taking pictures, videos of showers on the road

If you want to avoid an easy traffic fine, just don’t take pictures of the rain. Police in Abu Dhabi have called on motorists to follow traffic rules ahead of the rainy weather, which already hit several areas in the north with hailstorms and heavy rains.

As the winter season gradually makes an appearance in the UAE, weather forecasters expect sporadic rainfall to affect various parts of the country later this week.

And as the weather becomes more unpredictable, police are also expecting more traffic violations to take place, especially with mobile phones.

Abu Dhabi Police have warned motorists that taking photographs of rain while driving is a traffic violation and will be penalised with a Dh800 fine and four black points.

According to Article 32 of the Federal Traffic Law, the use of a mobile phone is categorised under distracted driving. Statistics by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai revealed that texting while driving increases your chance of being in a traffic accident by as much as 32 per cent.