Driving too close to the car in front — tailgating — is fined Dh400 and four black points. In Dubai, Gulf News reports, the car can also be impounded for 30 days.
Detected automatically
Dubai Police’s intelligent traffic system detects failure to keep a safe distance among its five automatic violations, and Umm Al Quwain has activated cameras specifically for tailgating.
Why it is dangerous
At 120 km/h a car covers 33 metres every second. With a one-car gap, you have no time to react if the car in front brakes — for a camera, a missed exit or fog. Sudden swerving and short gaps are the ingredients of most multi-car collisions.
The two-second rule
Pick a fixed point. When the car in front passes it, count “one thousand one, one thousand two”. If you reach the point before you finish, you are too close. Double it in rain, fog or dust.
Why early camera warnings help
The car in front braking hard for a camera is one of the classic tailgating crashes. When everyone knows the camera is there early, nobody needs to brake hard for it.
