Abu Dhabi police to start 'smart vehicle impounding' at homes in June

Abu Dhabi: Police in the capital annnounced on Wednesay that they would activate the smart vehicle impounding system service in June. All impounded vehicles, from June 1, would be in the custody of vehicle owners instead of the 'impound yard'. If the owner decides to pay fines and a fee (Dh15 for each day of the impound period), motorists can get away without impounding.

In this system, owners will be able to complete any and all traffic transactions easily during the impounding period, while also maintaining appropriate care and safety of the car and its parts. If the owner decides to pay fines and a fee (Dh15 for each day of the impound period), motorists can get away without the impounding. In the current non-smart system, this payment is Dh100 for each day. 

Your car can be impounded for a number of reasons, from illegal parking, speeding, noisy engine modifications, window tints that are too dark or carrying passengers illegally. The period of such impounding can be anywhere from a week to 90 days - and each day after this penalised period that the car is not collected, the owner cumulates further fines. 

How does it work?

Dubai had introduced a similar system in 2017, and the process is pretty much the same. When the car is impounded, technicians will come to the premises or parking area of the vehicle and install a small device on the car. This tracking device records any movements and sends alerts to the police if the car is moved or driven during the impounding period.