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Using mobile phones while driving has become a major safety concern worldwide. The UAE is no exception, as the use of mobile phones while driving is reaching alarming rates.

Over 27 thousand distracted driving violations have been recorded in the UAE in the first half of 2021 alone. Despite the dangers and the many warnings from traffic authorities urging motorists to refrain from the dangerous habit of using mobile phones while driving, teens continue to drive carelessly, resulting in life-changing injuries or death. What's even more shocking are the reports by driving instructors in the UAE revealing an alarming number of students undergoing test drills and lessons while checking their social media feeds. 

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. Studies have shown that reading just one text message while driving at 70 kilometres an hour equates to travelling 100 meters completely blind. 

Based on this insight, Belhasa Driving Center (BDC) and MullenLowe MENA joined forces, creating a never-seen-before driving test to spread awareness on the dangers of distracted driving.

The 100 Meters Blind Test is the first driving test where students have to drive blind to obtain their driving license. To make the test possible, MullenLowe MENA installed special glass technology in BDC learner cars turning all windows opaque at the flick of a switch. 

Sweat, fear and tension overcame BDC driving students when they were faced with a choice: do the test or forget the license. 

To drive the message home, students were left with a story that would change their lives as much as it changed its owner's. The 100-Meter stories took students through the horrors Muhammed faced on his way to Abu Dhabi airport. Suffering brain damage, memory loss and partial paralysis, Muhammed revealed how a few seconds of looking at his phone rendered him unconscious for two months and abolished his dream of becoming a pilot. 

The 100 Meters Blind Test is being used in driving schools across the UAE, saving lives 100 meters at a time.