Traffic penalties for serious traffic violations were updated in the newly amended traffic law, which was brought into implementation in a bid to discourage motorists from committing dangerous traffic violations. The new traffic law was implemented on July 1, 2017, and since then, a noticeable decrease has been observed in traffic violations committed by motorists across the UAE. The new traffic law tightened the scrutiny of traffic offenders, which resulted in increasing traffic fines and black points’ penalty for dangerous traffic violations. The authorities also introduced the penalty of confiscation of the vehicle for many serious violations.
Along with these changes made to the traffic law, the traffic monitoring standards have also been enhanced significantly by authorities over the last few years, which has left no margin for error for a motorist in terms of committing a traffic violation and getting away with it. These developments have also provided a much-needed boost to the ambition of authorities to achieve zero road deaths per 100,000 people in the country by 2020.
Types of Penalties for Traffic Violations in the UAE
The new traffic law has introduced some major changes in the traffic rules and has urged motorists to recognize the importance of following safe driving practices to avoid traffic penalties. Apart from penalties for some serious traffic violations that are decided by the court, here are the three types of penalties that motorists can face for committing a traffic violation in the UAE:
- Traffic fine
- Black Points issued against driver’s license
- Confiscation of the Vehicle
Highest Traffic Fine for a Violation
Traffic fines were increased in the new traffic law to warn motorists against committing dangerous traffic violations. The heaviest of fines being set to AED 20,000 for driving a vehicle under the influence of Alcohol or Drugs. Similarly, fines for other dangerous traffic violations were also increased to discourage motorists from exhibiting reckless driving behavior, which had continued to deteriorate the road safety situation in the UAE over the last few years.
Longest Vehicle Confiscation Duration for a Dangerous Violation
Confiscation of the vehicle, also known as vehicle impounding, is a traffic penalty that refers to authorities taking the vehicle of a traffic offender in custody for committing a dangerous traffic violation by its driver. The time period for confiscation of the vehicle can be different based on the type of traffic violation committed by a motorist. Motorists can face confiscation of their vehicle for 60 days if they are found exceeding the maximum speed limit of a road by more than 80 Km/h. This is the longest confiscation period for committing a dangerous traffic violation in the UAE.
Maximum Black Points for a Violation
The traffic penalty of black points can lead to the cancellation of a driving license in the UAE if the black points against a license of a traffic offender amount to 24. The penalty for some dangerous traffic violations has been set in excess of 20 black points, which means committing these traffic violations can increase the risk of cancellation of the driving license on the spot.
Also read: Traffic Problems in the UAE – A Roundup of 2017
Traffic Violations with the Highest Black Points Penalty
Mounting black points can result in the cancellation of the driving license of an offender. Getting a driving license is a long and complicated process in the UAE and reapplying for it can be even tougher and time taking. Driving license of a motorist can be cancelled right away for driving under the influence of a drug or brain affecting substances as this is the only traffic violation for which motorists can face a penalty of 24 black points.
Here are some other traffic violations with maximum black points in the UAE:
Traffic violations with a penalty of 23 black points
- Driving in a way that poses danger to the lives of others
- Driving in a way that can cause damage to private and public facilities
- Driving under the influence of alcohol
- Driving a vehicle without number plates
- Speeding 80 Km/h more than the speed limit of a road
- Causing death to someone in a road accident
Traffic violations with a penalty of 12 black points
- Driving a vehicle that makes too much noise
- Speeding 60km/h more but less than 80km/h than the speed limit of a road
- Jumping a red signal
- Running away from the Traffic Policeman
- Modifying the engine and chassis of a vehicle without permission from authorities
- Poor lane discipline
All these traffic violations can prove to have dangerous consequences on the UAE roads, which is why authorities have increased the black points penalty for most of these violations in the new traffic law.
Also read: Traffic Violations with Maximum Fines in the UAE
Bottom-line
Dangerous traffic violations have hefty traffic penalties in the UAE. In particular, mounting black points against a driver’s license can be a big concern as the driving license can be cancelled if the black points amount to 24 and the driver will not be allowed to drive in the UAE till the license is renewed. The long list of traffic violations in the UAE clearly describes the traffic penalty system and motorists must follow the traffic rules to avoid serious penalties such as heavy fines, vehicle confiscation, driving license cancellation and detention of the driver. A careful driving approach and awareness about traffic rules is important in order to develop a safe driving mindset, which can also help authorities in improving the traffic safety situation across the country.
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