‘Mister Le Mans’ Warns UAE Motorists of the Dangers of Distracted Driving

Tom Kristensen who is known all over the world as ‘Mr. Le Mans’ for winning what is arguably the toughest 24hrs endurance car race in the world a record breaking 9 times, has warned UAEW motorists of the dangers of distracted driving. Based on his expertise in endurance driving, he says that it is critical to pay full attention. He said that in endurance racing, being distracted for even a fraction of a second can result in significant difference in the fortunes of the racer and his team. Just like this is true for professional car racers, it is true for ordinary motorists also. In order to reach their “finish line” or their destination safely, they have to be fully alert all the time. It is also important to take all possible safety precautions for themselves, their passengers and other participants in the traffic including other motorists and pedestrians. He could not emphasize enough the importance of avoiding distraction while driving.

Mr. Kristensen’s comments tallied closely with the findings of a study that RoadSafety UAE commissioned and published in 2014 in which 34% of the respondents said that their concentration levels slipped while driving. As many as 47% feel that there is a clear link between being distracted on the road while driving and being involved in an accident.

Speaking about Kristensen’s statement, Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE said that he wanted to remind UAE motorists once again to focus both on the road and the traffic around them and to avoid being distracted by anything else. He welcomed Kristensen’s message as a vital testimony from one of the true greats of the world of motorsports.

Janice Hinson, PR Manager Audi Middle East added that Audi was proud to work closely with the Audi race hero and brand ambassador Tom Kristensen and the support he expressed for the cause of road safety in the UAE. She went on to say that as a progressive, premium car manufacturer, Audi constantly develops and improves the safety technology of its vehicles in line with the ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ brand definition. Many accidents though, occur due to human error. The company wants to focus on raising awareness regarding this aspect and lower the levels of distracted driving in order to control this factor that contributes so highly to the accident rate.

Top 10 distractions for UAE drivers:

1. Behaviour of other drivers (59%)
2. Passengers speaking to you (44%)
3. Changing the radio (40%)
4. Adjusting the air conditioning (34%)
5. Poorly behaved children (34%)
6. Complex road systems (33%)
7. Road signs (32%)
8. Using a mobile phone (30%)
9. Reading maps/sat nav (25%)
10. Reaching for objects in the car (25%)