670 cases of drunk driving registered in Dubai, motorists warned

Dubai: As many as 670 cases were registered against motorists driving under the influence of alcohol last year, down from 1,080 in 2019. Dubai Traffic Prosecution also registered 94 cases against motorists driving under the influence of drugs in 2020, compared to 108 cases the previous year.

Warning motorists, Prosecutor Salah Bu Farousha Al Falasi, head of the Dubai Traffic Prosecution, urged them to adhere to traffic rules and not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

As per Article 49 of UAE’s Traffic Law, such motorists can be punished with a fine of Dh25,000 or a jail term to be decided by the court.

Overall, Dubai Traffic Prosecution recorded a 41.7 per cent decline in the number of traffic cases compared to 2019.

Al Falasi said the department dealt with 7,287 traffic cases last year compared to 12,385 the year before. Last year, cases included 670 against drunk driving and 94 against motorists who were caught driving under the influence of drugs.

“As many as 58 cases were for drivers who caused wrongful deaths in traffic accidents. We will not tolerate drivers violating traffic laws and we will be seeking the toughest punishment against them,” said Al Falasi.

Prosecution collected Dh21 million in blood money between 2019 and 2020 from drivers against whom final rulings were issued in cases of causing wrongful deaths. “We have direct orders from Dubai’s Attorney General to speed up the investigation in traffic cases and follow the payment of blood money to transfer the money to the victim’s family.”

According to official data, 38 drivers were faced with charges of endangering the lives of other road users and 17 motorists were charged with causing serious injuries to others.

To speed up procedures, a smart system was implemented this year, connecting police stations with the traffic prosecution in the emirate. This allows prosecutors to investigate crash scenes faster. “Not only does it reduce the time it takes to have a severe crash investigated, this system also helps clear a crash scene faster and prevent traffic congestions,” said Al Falasi.

The smart examination project used smart application to finish the investigation in line with Dubai’s paper-free strategy. “All procedures and correspondence needed as part of a traffic crash investigation can be done through the smart application. It will cut time to few hours while in the past the procedure needed 10 working days,” he said.

According to Al Falasi, more smart projects are expected this year including a project to grant insurance companies access to the outcomes of traffic cases. “This way insurance companies will no longer need to submit requests or visit the services centre to find out the outcomes of a case.”

Driving under influence of drugs and alcohol

Last year, Dubai Traffic Prosecution registered 94 cases against drivers driving under the influence of drugs compared to 108 cases in 2019. Moreover, a noticeable drop in number of drivers driving under the influence of alcohol last year with 670 people compared to 1,080 drivers caught in 2019.

Al Falasi urged drivers to adhere to traffic instructions and not to drive their vehicles under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As per Article 49 of UAE’s Traffic Law, motorists caught shall be punished with a fine of Dh25,000 or a jail term to be decided by the court.