UAE | Traffic and Transport
Police warn that 2o-year-old cars will be confiscated
Police will strictly enforce new norms to do away with motor vehicles that are more than 20 years old and will confiscate vehicles found flouting the rules, officials said in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Abu Dhabi: Police will strictly enforce new norms to do away with motor vehicles that are more than 20 years old and will confiscate vehicles found flouting the rules, officials said in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The announcement follows the decision of the authorities to begin phasing out old cars from December 1, with the aim of easing traffic congestion and reducing vehicular pollution.
"Vehicles found flouting the regulations will face confiscation," Colonel Hamad Adil Al Shamsi, director of the Traffic and Patrols Department at Abu Dhabi Police, said in a statement.
Noting that over 30 per cent of accidents were caused by old cars that lacked standard safety features available on newer models, Al Shamsi said the decision to ban old cars, besides improving safety standards, would also have a positive effect on the traffic situation in the city.
Onus on the owner
Old cars can be scrapped or shipped out of the country but the onus is on the owner of the vehicle to find a suitable solution, he said.
With the implementation of the decision, over 68,000 cars would be taken off the city's roads by the end of 2009, according to Colonel Gaith Al Za'abi, head of the traffic department at the Ministry of Interior.
As the phasing out continues, approximately 200,000 cars will be banned in 2010 with the authorities renewing registration of only cars less than 15 years old, Al Za'abi said.
Vehicles which are 20 years or older as of December 1, cannot have their registration renewed as per the new rules. However, if the registration of such a car expires before December 1, it will be renewed for one more year.
Taxis older than five years apart, import of light vehicles older than five years and heavy vehicles older than seven years will be banned. Classic and antique cars have been exempted from this rule.
Import of light vehicles older than five years and heavy vehicles older than seven years will also be banned.
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Latest news
- Sharjah boy tops Indian board's class 12 exams
- Dubai number plates auction raises Dh27m
- Youngsters dance and raise cash for charity
- Dubai departments upgrade services
- Get yourself a free test for diabetes
- Ensuring a safety net for intellectual property
- Reader's issue addressed
- 5,552 illegals held in Dubai this year
- Man cleared because he took drugs in France
- Man charged with trafficking women
- Auditors to probe Mizin graft case
- Breaking down cultural barriers with photographs
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Islamic centre
- Cyber infidelity creeping out of virtual domain
- Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE
Community Reports
-
Mirror, mirror show me the way
Driver on Salam Street had so many boxes and fruits piled into car, he would not be able to view rear or right side mirrors
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists






