Is there a traffic violation for using a phone holder in a car?

Does Dubai Police issue a fine for being busy with a phone while driving if it is installed on a holder in the car? A question directed by one of the readers to the Dubai Police via “Emirates Today”, and the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police for Operations Affairs, Major General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, responded to it, indicating that the legislator expanded this violation within the amendments to the traffic law.

He explained that in the past, it was imposed on anyone who spoke on a mobile phone while driving, but in light of the serious consequences of some people browsing and following short video clips “Reel” or responding on social media, the violation has now included “being busy with the phone by any means.”

He told Emirates Today that the legislator did not limit himself to expanding the types of violations, but rather increased the penalty to 800 dirhams and four black points, attributing this to the fact that it may be a major cause of very serious accidents, because the phone user may be completely distracted from the road, especially when following some platforms.

Regarding the mechanism for issuing a violation, he explained that the presence of the phone on the holder does not exempt from accountability, because the violation is related to busyness and not holding the phone in the hand, stressing that Dubai Police does not aim to issue violations per se, but rather works through a precise technical system to enhance the safety of road users, and can determine the circumstances of the busyness, whether the phone is installed on the holder or in the driver’s hand.

He stressed that modern control systems enhanced with artificial intelligence do not monitor violations in isolation from oversight and verification, but rather rely on multiple shots and different photography angles to ensure the clarity of the violation and confirm the circumstances of its recording, and that the driver was not forced to commit it.

He continued that what many people do not realize is that activating all available systems may lead to arresting many times the violations actually recorded, but the Dubai Police philosophy is based on deterrence and arresting reckless people, not merely collecting fines. The violation of being busy with the phone may be committed over a long distance and monitored by several cameras, yet only one violation is recorded against the driver, alerting the seriousness of this behavior and deterring him from repeating it.