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Vehicles running at high speed on Mohammad Bin Zayed road leaving very little space from the vehicle in front. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

Dubai: Tailgating. Its one of the most common and dangerous traffic offences in the UAE.

Driving dangerously close to the vehicle in front of you puts the lives of road users and their passengers at risk, and is a traffic offence punishable by fines and black points. 

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Abu Dhabi Police are cracking down on errant drivers, and warned that motorists who tailgate will be slapped with a Dh400 fine and four black points. 

The traffic department at Abu Dhabi Police also revealed that 13 per cent of traffic accidents during the first quarter of 2018 occurred when drivers failed to maintain a safe distance with other vehicles.  

In some cases, such types of accidents also led to death and injuries. 

Lt Col Dr Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director of the Traffic Department at the Traffic and Patrols Department, urged motorists to leave sufficient distance between vehicles “in order to provide ample time for drivers to stop in a safe manner in the event of any sudden incident”. 

In the last few weeks, Abu Dhabi Police have carried out an awareness campaign on social networking sites to encourage motorists to follow traffic rules.

The campaign, which was held under the slogan “Give Your Comment", also invited the public to provide suggestions on how to make the UAE’s roads safer. 

In its latest video, Abu Dhabi Police showed the consequences of jumping a red light at a busy junction. 

The video was accompanied with the caption: “How do you see such behaviours and accidents on the roads and the reasons that led to them. Share your suggestions and advice to enhance your safety and to reduce such incidents.”