UAE | Traffic and Transport

Dubai Police crack down on speeding

From November 1, trucks, buses and light vehicles such as pick-up trucks, minibuses and taxis will face severe punishment if they exceed the speed limit by 10km per hour. Other motorists have been given a grace of 20km per hour.

By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
Published: 00:00 October 19, 2009

Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
From November 1, trucks, buses and light vehicles such as pick-up trucks, minibuses and taxis will face severe punishment if they exceed the speed limit by 10km per hour.

Dubai: The police's traffic department will come down harder on certain categories of motorists, giving them little margin to exceed the speed limit, a senior official said.

From November 1, trucks, buses and light vehicles such as pick-up trucks, minibuses and taxis will face severe punishment if they exceed the speed limit by 10km per hour, said Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of the Dubai Police Traffic Department.

Other motorists have been given a grace of 20km per hour.

Maj Gen Al Zafein said he had proposed a grace limit of 5km/h for trucks and taxis. However, Lieutenant-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, approved a grace limit of 10 km/h.

Comments (23)

Added 16:24 October 19, 2009

I often see taxis,buses, lorries and trucks speeding away while driving on the roads. Efforts should be made to educate those drivers.

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 15:54 October 19, 2009

How the radars will distinguish between the Taxis and saloon private cars?

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:58 October 19, 2009

This is a welcome move by the authorities. I always see that nowadays, Taxi Drivers are the worst on the Dubai roads, They simply drive recklessly and come too close, and keep on giving high beams to distract other motorists. Hope this move will help them follow the rules.

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:35 October 19, 2009

How can the radar read the plate??? doesnt it just flash on the limit set???

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:22 October 19, 2009

Truck drivers are the ones who are racing nowdays. It's scary when they do this. Despite the size of the vehicle some of the drivers drive trucks like sports car..

Anonymous, dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:09 October 19, 2009

This decision is welcome however further steps should be taken to re-train these drivers on basic driving rules such as leaving enough distance with the vehicle in front, switching lanes properly, how to enter a main road from a side road without risking others etc...

Burak, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:08 October 19, 2009

My opinion is that a 5 km/h margin would have been just the right limit, with zero tolerance for vehicles carrying 10 passengers and more. Strict fines and suspensions of licences would serve to curb the almost manic driving one witnesses on Dubai's roads nowadays. But it is a step in the right direction, and I wish all of the city's motorists a safer, happier journey home.

Mark Issac, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:03 October 19, 2009

The best way to control the speed is not by advising the people or decreasing the speed limit. There should be device fitted with the vehicle to control the maximum speed. The vehicle itself should not go beyond that speed limit. I hope with this modification, the police or RTA can control speed-related accidents.

Nizam, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 13:59 October 19, 2009

Speed grace limit e.g +10KM for trucks, and +20 KM for sedan cars doesn't make sense. Speed limit is speed limit, otherwise why have it in the first place? An error margin of +5KM is reasonable since not all vehicles' speedometer are reading the speed correctly. However to catch the person/vehicle when renewing car registration in not enough! Violators should be stopped on the spot by the traffic police, and in some cases traffic police should withdraw their driving licence and/or tow their vehicle, then you will find a sense of normalcy on UAE roads. UAE roads kills more than H1N1 virus.

Frank, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 13:40 October 19, 2009

There needs to be a tolrenace in speed limits as there are discrepancies in the accuracies of speedometers within cars. However the main issue in the UAE is driving at an inappropriate speed for the conditions coupled with drivers who have little or no knowledge of lane discipline. The country needs an equivalanet of the highway code that can be understood by all nationalities and more unmarked police cars patrolling the raods that prosecute offenders.

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates