Regardless of whether you’re obeying the speed limit…

We’ve all been there, sitting in the fast lane of the motorway only for a car to appear out of nowhere, flashing the full beams asking you to move out of the way.

Who’s at fault here? Depending on the circumstances it could well be both drivers.

They see me rolling

The outermost (furthest left) lane of the nation’s highways is reserved for overtaking. If you’re in that lane, and there is a safe space to move into (to your right), and you don’t move, you could be slapped with a Dhs400 fine, regardless of the speed you are travelling.

Of course the vehicle behind you could well be committing a driving violation too. Not through the mograine-enducing strobe effect of the flashed headlights — it’s the ‘tailgating’, that is not leaving sufficient room between you and the vehicle in front, also carries a Dhs400 penalty (and four black points).

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Abu Dhabi Police have issued over 13,000 fines for tailgating so far in 2020

Abu Dhabi Police recently announced that it had recorded a total 19,327 tailgating offences in the first half of the year, that’s up from 13,759 recorded in the first half of 2020.

Abu Dhabi Police have been warning about the dangers of this driving practise for some time now. It represents a major cause of accidents on the roads globally.

Some studies link the act to as much as one-third of all road traffic accidents.

There are no winners in a tailgating scenario. If you can pull over safely, you must do so. And regardless of how urgent your errand, you must respect safe distances between vehicles, a fine is inconvenient but the price could be so much steeper.

Images: Getty