Abu Dhabi: Vehicles with expired registrations face being impounded, Abu Dhabi police have warned.
Those caught driving vehicles with expired registrations will be issued a fine of Dh400 and will be given a month's time to complete the registration renewal procedure. Failure to do so will lead to the confiscation of the vehicle for at least a week, the police said.
Officials kicked off a campaign on Sunday to intensify crackdown on vehicles with expired registrations.
Surfeit of fines
The campaign comes as over 10,121 fines were issued to motorists in the capital for this particular offence since the start of the year, Colonel Hussain Ahmad Al Harthy, Director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrol Department said.
Marked as well as unmarked patrol cars are being used to identify offenders.
"These vehicles pose a great danger to all road users. Since they are not certified fit to be on the roads by authorities, they are more likely to cause accidents," Col Al Harthy said.
The campaign is being run simultaneously across the country by the concerned traffic departments in each emirate, officials said.
On Sunday, as the campaign got underway, Gulf News was given an opportunity to travel along with a traffic patrol team as they went about identifying traffic violators.
Minutes after the patrol car, ventured into the roads, one of the two policemen in the car started keying in the number plate details of a car he chose at random into his handheld device. Within seconds, the device revealed all details of the car — including about registration, ownership, traffic violations, black points accumulated etc.
The car was instantly flagged down, as its registration had expired. The driver was then asked to present the car registration card and his driver's license before being issued with a Dh400 ticket.
"Your car will be confiscated for at least a week if you do not renew your car within one month from today [the date of issue of the fine]," the policeman told the driver.
"Unless you renew your car, you wouldn't be able to get back your car", he added.
To most motorists, the vehicle registration fee itself is not what stops them from completing the procedure, but it is the clearing of fines for traffic offences that many dread. Vehicles also need to undergo a technical fitness test and renewal of the insurance before registration could be renewed.
Month's grace
Once a vehicles registration expires, motorists get a month's grace period to renew without any fines.
Too many accident are caused by these unfit cars, its tyre might burst or it breaks down in the middle of the traffic, one of the patrol officials said.
Colonel Al Harthy called on motorists to always carry the vehicle registration card and drivers' licence while driving.
"The absence of these documents with a driver is a violation in itself. It could lead to the vehicle being temporarily held back by the police till these documents are presented."
