Dubai: The driving licences of 212 defendants guilty of causing fatal accidents and drinking-driving during the first four months of the year were revoked based on strict sanctions by Dubai traffic prosecutors.
"The Dubai Traffic Misdemeanour Court revoked, upon traffic prosecutors' impeachment, the licences of 191 drivers for involving in drunken driving cases and 21 licences for drivers, who caused fatal accidents," Chief Traffic Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution (TPP), said Saturday.
"We will do whatever it takes to enforce the traffic law accurately and strictly — we do so to preserve peoples' lives and protect public and private properties from getting unnecessarily and recklessly damaged.
Licences revoked
In a statement he explained that the traffic court revoked licences and banned some drivers involved in fatal accidents and/or driving under influence of alcohol from renewing their licences for different periods between three months and one year.
"As per the Traffic Law's amendments in 2007, TPP constantly refers drivers involved in cases of drinking-driving, fatal accidents or inattentively damaging public/private properties, to court and ask for revoking their driving licences and banning them from renewal as well," Bu Farousha said.
"The defendants, who were convicted by the traffic court, had their licences revoked and/or banned from renewing them."
Speaking about the breakdown of such cases, the chief traffic prosecutor explained that the court revoked the licences of 19 defendants and banned two others from renewing their licenses after they were convicted of causing fatalities in road accidents.
Furthermore, the court revoked 181 licenses for drunken-drivers and banned ten others from renewing their driving permits.
"We communicate and cooperate with the Roads and Transport Authority immediately to enforce a court's order to revoke a licence or not renew it," he said.
"I call on all road users to be law-abiding and respect traffic rules and regulations to avoid being prosecuted.
"We will constantly ask the traffic court to implement the toughest punishments applicable — Dubai traffic prosecutors are sternly determined, as part of their strategic goals, to prosecute reckless and unsafe drivers and reduce fatal accidents and damaging properties across the streets of the emirate."
Banned
According to TPP's statistics, Bu Farousha said out of 19 defendants who caused fatal accidents and damaged properties four licences were revoked for three months, four licenses were revoked for six months and 11 licenses were revoked for one year. Meanwhile two defendants were banned from renewing their licences for one year each.
Moreover, concerning drinking-driving cases, the traffic court revoked 84 licenses for three months, 62 licenses for six months and 35 for a year. Three drivers cannot renew their licences for three months, four for six months and three for a year.
Earlier this month, the traffic court jailed an Iraqi woman for one year, revoked her licence for one year and banned her from renewing it for six months after she was convicted of driving negligently and accidentally killing two pedestrians after jumping a red signal.
She was also ordered to pay Dh400,000 in blood money to the parents of the victims.
Zero tolerance on offences
- 191 licences revoked for drink-driving
- 21 licences revoked for causing fatal accidents
- 35 licences revoked for a year
