Closing months of 2006 saw a spurt in offences

Dubai: The number of traffic offences in November and December last year exceeded 280,000, with an increase of 60,000 offences compared to the same period in 2005.

The Dubai Police Traffic Department reported a total of 280,731 traffic offences in the last two months of 2006 since the launch of a traffic campaign by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to crack down on errant motorists.

The traffic offences reported an increase compared to 2005, which reported 220,773 during the same period.

Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, said speeding offences declined to 140,636 last year compared to 150,395 offences in 2005.

He said the increase of radars helped detect traffic law offenders as well as decrease the number of speeding offences.

Brigadier Al Zafein said lane line violations increased to 29,275 offences compared to 7,805 offences in 2005. He said the offences of blocking traffic, parking on the pavements and parking in prohibited places increased in the past two months as well.

"The most dangerous offence of jumping red signals also increased to 7,000 compared to 1,719 in 2005.

"The department takes strict procedures against red signal jumpers, as it causes severe losses," he said.

The number of offences reported for reckless driving was 6,737 in the past two months, compared to 3,159 offences in 2005.

Other traffic offences included driving on the hard shoulder with 4,366 offences, not leaving enough space between vehicles with 3,555 violations and parking in places allocated for people with special needs with 2,569 offences.