More than 10,000 tickets issued

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Department issued more than 10,000 fines for traffic violations in Abu Dhabi city last month.

According to the department, the fines were issued in Abu Dhabi as part of an intensified campaign to crack down on bad drivers and raise safety awareness among motorists and the public.

Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Al Shehi, Head of the Capital Traffic and Patrols Section at the Department, said 10,815 tickets were issued in the city from January 1 to 31.

He said 9,338 tickets were issued to motorists on the spot and 1,477 in their absence.

Al Shehi said illegal parking topped the violations, followed by failure to use safety belts with 2,955 cases.

He said the department also issued 2,061 tickets for obstructing traffic, 362 for parking in spaces reserved for emergency and rescue vehicles, 315 for entering no-entry zones and 54 for jumping traffic lights.

In addition to these fines, the department also fined motorists for poor maintenance of their vehicles, and issued tickets to pedestrians crossing roads at unsafe places.

"The ongoing campaign has been intensified following the increasing number of accidents in the city," he said.