UAE | Traffic and Transport
Drunken driving cases on the rise, says official
The Dubai Traffic Court of First Instance sentenced the 25-year-old British sound engineer and the 51-year-old retired Emirati [each in a separate case] to a month in jail and a Dh20,000 fine for reckless and drunken driving.
- By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:30 May 2, 2008
- Salah Bu Farousha
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Dubai: A Briton and an Emirati have each been jailed, slapped hefty fines and had their driving licences revoked after they got caught driving recklessly under the influence of alcohol.
The Dubai Traffic Court of First Instance sentenced the 25-year-old British sound engineer and the 51-year-old retired Emirati [each in a separate case] to a month in jail and a Dh20,000 fine for reckless and drunken driving.
Drunken driving cases have shown about a 70 per cent increase between the first quarter of 2007 and 2008 and this has pushed traffic authorities to impose tough rules, said Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution yesterday.
"We have noted a nearly 54 per cent increase in cases of drinking and driving ... in the first quarter of 2007 there were 194 cases, meanwhile this year, we registered 297 cases. The current rulings and punishments are a minimum of one month to three years and a Dh20,000 to Dh30,000 fine. We usually appeal the initial verdicts in the Appeal's Court and seek stronger punishments to be applied against reckless and drunken drivers, especially those involved in accidents which lead to injuries or damages," Bu Farousha told Gulf News.
Judge Dr Ahmad Al Mutawa of the Traffic Court found the Briton, E.T., guilty of reckless and drunken driving, causing a collision which damaged two vehicles and injured a Pakistani driver. About 171 mg/dl of liquor was found in his blood test. The court seized his drivers' licence for three months.
Meanwhile, Judge Jasem Ebrahim of the Traffic Court found the Emirati, A.A., guilty of drunken and reckless driving. He drove his car with a revoked licence [a court order seized his licence last February], as charged by the Traffic Public Prosecution. Judge Ebrahim fined him Dh5,000 for using a revoked licence and seized it for one year.
Bu Farousha said: "We usually call for the most stringent punishment to be applied against violators in order to deter reckless drivers... we also seek to seize their drivers' licences."
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